Hyderabad: Adulteration of milk is a major concern as it reduces its nutritional value and also causes health problems.
The various adulterants used in milk are water, detergent, foreign fat, starch, sodium hydroxide or caustic soda, sugar, urea, pond water, salt, maltodextrin, sodium carbonate, formalin and ammonium sulphate. Dietician P Padma explained, “Adulterants like detergent, urea and pond water are found to cause food poisoning and other gastrointestinal complications. The high alkaline level in these adulterants damages body tissue and destroys proteins. Other synthetic components cause impairments, heart problems and are one of the causes for cancer.”
Oxytocin injections are being used despite the harmful effects on cattle and human beings. The milk from these animals is causing hormonal imbalances and leading to early puberty. There have been recorded incidents of gynaecomastia or development of breasts in male children. For this reason, doctors and dieticians state that the milk has to be brought to a boiling point and then kept on slow flame for 10 minutes and allowed to boil further so that all the micro-organisms will be killed.
