Caution :: Impure Ghee in Indian market

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Dear friends, I am forwarding you an email I received sometime back (forwarded to me by an ISKCON Temple President) regarding impure ghee in circulation in Indian market - unfit for puja / preparing offerings / temple use.Regards,-sriram impure ghee---------------------------Hare Krishna!All Glories to Radha Shyamsundar.All Glories to Krishna Balaram.All Glories to Gaur NitaiAll glories to Sri Sri Panchatattva 3rd August 2007Respectful Prabhuji ,Please accept my most humble obeisance at your lotus feet.All glories to Sri Sri Guru and Gauranga; All glories to Srila Pabhupada.This has reference to the sample of one tin of unopened ghee

sent to usat Bangalore to testing for adulteration with animal fat.There had been some reports of adulteration of popular brands of ghee withanimal fat in the news network. In this connection my wife Devaki MadhaviDevi Dasi at Vrindavan had requested me to test the sample of one popularghee used by the temple kitchen and the same sample was sent to us, lastweek through Archak Prabhu , who as kind enough to deliver the same to us.The sample has been of Dynamix Cow Ghee, M/s.Schreider Dynamix Dairies Ltd,Pune. We have got the sample tested and it has proved positive , that is itcontains animal fat beyond any doubt, as per the said testing house.We give below the following observations and information gathered for yourkind reference in relation to ghee etc in

India.1.We contacted several testing lab with this request and finally zeroed onone testing house M/s.Anatech Laboratory and research center. This decisionwas based on the fact that whereas most others had outdated testingfacility which could only tell of adulteration with other fats and werenot able to specifically and categorically state that animal fat has benmixed.2.We have been told that the test is based on the Fancier-TransbranedInfra -red spectrum Replication test. and is an accurate test.3.Our sample: Even the physical observation of the sample shows veryclearly that there is adulteration. There is no homogeneity. Any ghee wouldbe uniformly homogenous, and not half semi-solid and the other bottom halffully caked hard.This most likely contains about 15% animal fat . The quantitative analysiscan be done but this needs further testing and higher cost.4.

Incidentally the said labarotary tests several milk and milks productsfor private and government agencies. In his experience they have testedseveral products and national brands.Their observation is as follows:i.Of all the brand in India Amul is the best brand for ghee and butter andall milks products.ii.Even Nestle is adulterated with about 5% vegetable oil fats.iii.Most ghee is a mixture of Cows and Buffolo milk in the branded segment.iv.Nilgiris of Bangalore which is famous for its 'pure' Cows ghee brand asper this laboratory was initially pure cows ghee but now is mixed withbuffolo milk. However Nilgiris and Nandidni of Bangalore does not have anyadulteration with vegetable oil fat.v.The ghee constituents of leading brands contains 65% cows milk and therest buffalo milk.5.Incidentally it is possible to test if a given sample of milk containspure cows milk . There is a

particular harmone which is contained only incows milk and this can be detected by a sophisticated test , with acertain accuracy.Remarks:As most milk products like ghee has only about 5% margin as Amulmaintains a strict price factor which the other competitor find hard tobeat. Hence their way to profitability is adulteration with vegetable oiland for larger profits they adulterate with animal fat.The remark of the testing house with his large experience is that if oneneeds to have pure Cow's Ghee the only way is to make inhouse as even thebest brand like Amul though pure milk contains buffalo milk.For your kind information and reference.We hope the above is in order.Your humble servant,Hari Purushotam Das(Hari Babu. K.)