Due to the high cost and high demand for Ghee in India as well as abroad there is a rise in malpractices by the ghee manufacturers by recklessly adulterating Ghee. This adulteration not only causes financial losses but causes various health risks.
Adulteration of Ghee may commence at the initial state – which is – the milk stage itself. The water emulsion of various oils like coconut, groundnut, palm olein and other oils are added to milk or cream and then mixed to make a frothy layer of butter which on heating and boiling converts to ghee. Hence Ghee is adulterated with Edible Oil, Vegetable Oil, Animal Fat, Lard, Mineral Fats, Flavouring and Colouring Agents and even Starch. A common adulterant is Vanaspati (hydrogenated fat). Though there are chemical methods for the detection of adulterants in Ghee like Furfural method, Baudouin Test and B R Reading, the best method for detecting adulteration in Ghee is by Gas Liquid Chromatography.
Atlas Lab provides a comprehensive state-of-the-art Ghee Testing and analysis Program. By conducting the testing and analysis of Ghee samples we can evaluate their quality, quality confirmation, to ensure there is no contamination and adulteration and confirm and validate if the Ghee meets the technical and environmental requirements of national and international standards. Tests for Ghee are carried out as per FSSAI / AGMARK / BIS
What are the benefits of Ghee Testing?
- To ensure that the Ghee is safe for consumption and there is no trace of contamination, adulteration or racidity
- To ensure that the Ghee conforms with the national and international standards like FSSAI and other governing bodies
- To Determine the Shelf Life of the Ghee to establish the consumption period or the ‘Best Before’ date which helps maintain the quality of the final product
What are the various types of Ghee tested by Atlas Lab?
- Cow Ghee : Ghee derived and obtained from cow milk
- Buffalo Ghee : Ghee derived and obtained from buffalo milk
- A2 Ghee : The A2 Gir Cow Ghee is specifically made from the superior quality and nutritionally rich milk of the indigenous cow breed or desi cow milk using traditional Bilona method – a hand churning method.
We test Ghee as per the following world class standards :
- Bureau of Indian Standards -
IS 3808 : 1966 (Reaffirmed 2003)
- AGMARK Standard
- USDA Specification for Ghee
- Kenyan Standard - Cow Ghee Specification -
DKS 2684 : 2016
- FSSAI Standard for Ghee
- East African Standard –
DEAS 915 : 2022
- Tanzania Standard -
TBS/AFDC 14 (5259) P3
- Gulf Standard –
GSO 1874 : 2021
Standard Tests conducted for Ghee :
Physico-Chemical Tests
- Flavour & Taste
- Moisture Content
- Insoluble Impurities
- Colour
- Acidity / Free Fatty Acids
- Melting Point
- Poly unsaturated fatty acid (PUFA)
- Trans fatty acid
- Refractive Index
- Butyro-Refractometer Reading
- Milk Fat %
- Reichert-Meissl Value
- Polenske Value
- Peroxide Value
- Presence of Vegetable fat
- Presence of Animal fat
- Iodine Value
- Saponification Value
- Cholesterol
- Test for the presence of Sesame Oil - Bauduoin Test
- Saturated fatty acid
- Mono unsaturated fatty acid(MUFA)
- Gas Liquid Chromatography (GLC Test)
Microbiological tests
- Total plate count
- Coliform count
- E. Coli
- Shigella
- L. monocytogenes
- Yeast and Moulds
- Staphylococcus aureus
- Bacillus cereus
- Clostridium botulinum
- Salmonella
Heavy Metals
Aflatoxin M1
Nutritional Facts / Nutritional Value
Shelf Life
What is the process of collection of Ghee for Testing?
- You can directly send your Ghee Sample to us or ask for our Ghee Sampling Kits
- Collect the samples
- Courier the samples
- On receiving the samples in our laboratory, we will commence testing.
- Results will be provided in 24 to 48 hours
- Technical advice for your Ghee will be provided on testing the samples and assessment of Test Report
