Korean Monoglycerides Used For Adulteration of Ghee Supplied To TTD
Bhole Baba Dairy which supplied ghee to the TTD during the YSRC rule, was found to have heavily used monoglycerides, a chemical substance, in the ghee
Sourced From Korea The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe revealed that adulterated ghee was supplied for the manufacturing of the laddu prasadam at Tirumala. Bhole Baba Dairy which supplied ghee to the TTD during the YSRC rule, was found to have heavily used monoglycerides, a chemical substance, in the ghee. It was found that Raghubeer Saran Overseas, based in Delhi, imported the chemicals from Korea, which was later purchased by Sungandh Oil and then supplied to the Bhole Baba Dairy.
During the raids conducted in April 2025, numerous drums with 200-kg capacity each, loaded with Venus brand monoglycerides, were found on the premises of Sugandh Oil Company. The labels on the drums displayed that the monoglycerides were manufactured at Ilshin Wells Co. Ltd. in Korea. SIT raids at Bhole Baba Dairy at Bhagwanpur in Uttarakhand also found monoglyceride stocks on the premises. The FIR mentions that monoglycerides were used in the manufacture of adulterated ghee, which was supplied to the TTD.
Monoglycerides are manufactured from vegetable oils or animal fats. As vegetable oils cost more, it is likely that the monoglycerides used in the ghee supplied to Tirumala temple contained animal fats. In the ghee samples sent to the SIT in July 2024, the NDDB-CALF labs found the presence of pig and buffalo fat in the ghee. The SIT is yet to investigate in depth into the issue.
SIT also found that Bhole Baba Dairy produced fake invoices of edible oils while it bought monoglycerides from Sugandh Oils.
SIT probe revealed that the adulterated ghee was produced mixing palm oil, palm kernel oil, monoglycerides, Betacarotene, acetic acid ester, and lactic acid. Monoglycerides are used to make the mixture look like ghee and also to enhance its shelf life, as they act as a preservative.
