Milk fat consists of triglycerides, which are composed of glycerol and fatty acids.
Fatty acids are classified as short, medium, or long chain based on the number of carbon atoms.
Milk fat from different sources (cow, goat, lard, vegetable oils) has distinct triglyceride patterns.
Adulterating ghee with cheaper fats is a prevalent practice due to its high cost.
Various methods have been developed to detect ghee adulteration.
Gas Chromatography
Gas chromatography is the preferred method for precise adulteration analysis in the dairy industry.
This method separates the chemical components of a sample.
The resulting waveform reveals the proportion of different types of triglycerides.
Pure cow ghee has a unique waveform distinct from vegetable oil or lard.
Precht Method
The Precht method uses five equations to calculate "s values" for different types of adulteration.
Each s value corresponds to a specific type of adulteration (e.g., soya bean, coconut, palm oil).
A pure cow ghee sample should have all s values within a specified range.
The Precht method may not accurately identify the specific type of foreign fat, especially when dealing with blends.
The s value does not directly represent the percentage of adulteration.
Gas chromatography and the Precht method are valuable tools for detecting ghee adulteration.
The interpretation of s values requires specific knowledge and data for accurate results.
Further research is needed to establish reliable methods for differentiating fat sources in Indian ghee.
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