Impacts of Milk Fraud on Food Safety and Nutrition with Special Emphasis on Developing Countries

Abstract

Milk in its natural form has a high food value, since it is comprised of a wide variety of nutrients which are essential for proper growth and maintenance of the human body. In recent decades, there has been an upsurge in milk consumption worldwide, especially in developing countries, and it is now forming a significant part of the diet for a high proportion of the global population. As a result of the increased demand, in addition to the growth in competition in the dairy market and the increasing complexity of the supply chain, some unscrupulous producers are indulging in milk fraud. This malpractice has become a common problem in the developing countries, which lack strict vigilance by food safety authorities. Milk is often subjected to fraud (by means of adulteration) for financial gain, but it can also be adulterated due to ill-informed attempts to improve hygiene conditions. Water is the most common adulterant used, which decreases the nutritional value of milk. If the water is contaminated, for example, with chemicals or pathogens, this poses a serious health risk for consumers. To the diluted milk, inferior cheaper materials may be added such as reconstituted milk powder, urea, and cane sugar, even more hazardous chemicals including melamine, formalin, caustic soda, and detergents. These additions have the potential to cause serious health-related problems. This review aims to investigate the impacts of milk fraud on nutrition and food safety, and it points out the potential adverse human health effects associated with the consumption of adulterated milk.

The combined use of 1H and 2D NMR‐based metabolomics and chemometrics for non‐targeted screening of biomarkers and identification of reconstituted milk

“…RM and UM represent reconstituted and UHT milk, respectively. t represents PC1, t represents PC2 and t represents PC3.…”

“…Milk is popular among consumers because of its organoleptic qualities and high nutritional value. However, the supply of raw milk in China is insufficient to keep pace with increasing consumer demand . Ultra‐heat treated (UHT) milk is the milk after heat treatment, which is usually carried out at 135–150 °C for 1–10 s to achieve commercial asepsis .…”

Exploring the chemistry of complex samples by tentative identification and semiquantification: A food contact material case

“…Unknown chemicals shift the research question from “can this substance be found in this sample?” toward “what else can be found in this sample?” While targeted analyses are known for high sensitivity and useful for routine analysis, they can similarly provide a falsified argument of safety: Absence of evidence is not equal to evidence of absence. Food scandals, notably the melamine case, have proved that targeted methodology cannot always ensure safety due to the large number of substances not included.…”

Detection of Veterinary Antimicrobial Residues in Milk through Near-Infrared Absorption Spectroscopy

“…Adulterations in milk have been highly reported in developing countries, such as Pakistan, Brazil, India, and China [8]. Mostly the aim is to increase volume with the addition of water [9].…”