Was Animal Fat Present in Tirupati Laddus?

What’s in today’s article?

• Introduction
• Allegations of Adulteration
• How Adulteration is Detected?
• Findings from the Tirupati Laddu Analysis
• Challenges in Differentiating Sources of Fat
• Conclusion

Introduction

• The Tirupati laddu, a revered offering at the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) in Andhra Pradesh, has recently come under scrutiny after reports suggested that the ghee used in its preparation might be adulterated with animal fats, including beef tallow and lard.
• The controversy has sparked public outrage and raised questions about the authenticity of the ingredients used in this iconic prasadam.

Allegations of Adulteration

• The controversy began after a technical report by the Centre for Analysis and Learning in Livestock and Food (CALF) of the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) found that the ghee supplied to TTD was adulterated.
• The report identified the presence of various fats, including those from soybean, sunflower oil, rapeseed oil, linseed, cottonseed, fish oil, coconut, palm oil, and even animal fats such as beef tallow and lard.
• The issue gained further traction when former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu publicly alleged that animal fats, including beef and pig fat, were being used in the laddus, leading to widespread protests.

How Adulteration is Detected?

• Milk fat, like all organic fats, is composed of triglycerides, which are glycerol bonded with fatty acids.
• The composition of these triglycerides can vary significantly depending on the source of the fat, such as cow ghee, vegetable oils, or animal fats.
• The most precise method for detecting adulteration is gas chromatography, which separates the chemical components of a sample, creating a waveform that identifies the presence and proportions of various triglycerides.
• One widely used method, developed by German scientist Dietz Precht in 1991, uses a set of five equations to generate ‘s values’ that can detect specific adulterations.
• Each ‘s value’ corresponds to a type of foreign fat, such as s1 for soybean oil, s3 for palm oil and beef tallow, and s4 for lard.
• To qualify as pure cow ghee, all five values must lie within a specific range. Even if one value falls outside this range, it indicates the presence of adulteration.

Findings from the Tirupati Laddu Analysis

• The analysis conducted on two ghee samples revealed that all the ‘s values’ were outside the prescribed ranges, suggesting adulteration.
• For instance, the s3 value, associated with palm oil and beef tallow, was recorded at 22.43, well outside the acceptable range of 95.9 to 104.1.
• However, experts caution that this alone does not confirm the presence of beef tallow, as the test identifies adulterants as groups rather than specific fats.

Challenges in Differentiating Sources of Fat

• Differentiating the exact sources of fat, especially in the complex Indian context, presents significant challenges.
• The methods used for detecting adulteration were originally developed for European cows, and applying them to Indian cows requires recalibration of the ‘s values’ based on local biochemical data.
• A lack of specific baseline data for Indian bovines and tallow complicates the accuracy of such tests.
• Experts suggest that establishing a comprehensive database on the biochemistry of Indian ghee and animal fats is crucial for precise detection.
• According to Dr. Madhusudhan Rao, a scientist at the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology in Hyderabad, accurate differentiation of adulterants is possible with advanced spectrography methods, provided India-specific data is available.

Conclusion

• The allegations of adulteration in Tirupati laddus have raised serious concerns about food safety and authenticity.
• While advanced testing methods indicate the presence of foreign fats, pinpointing specific adulterants remains complex without localized data.
• As this issue unfolds, it underscores the need for stringent quality checks, transparency, and reliable data tailored to Indian conditions to ensure the purity of offerings that hold cultural and religious significance.

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Source: Was animal fat present in Tirupati laddus? | Explained