Abstract
Objective:This study aimed at determining the existence of oils and fats in ghee manufactured in Bangladesh and to validate the nature of the impurity.Materials and Methods:In this study, a ghee sample was prepared in the laboratory by following standard methods and was used as a control sample. On the other hand, 19 ghee samples, including five branded samples (B1–B5), and 14 local samples (L1–L14) were collected from different manufacturers. The ghee samples were assessed for fat composition, Reichert Meissl (RM), saponification, Polenske, acid, Kirschner, and butyro refractometer (BR) values. To validate the ghee samples, vegetable oils and body fats were mixed in different ratios and then analyzed.Results:All the branded samples contained more than 99.5% fat, but only three local samples showed more than 97% fat. Admixing of soybean oil and coconut oil in different ratios showed the RM value from 1.57 ± 0.09 to 4.14 ± 0.21, whereas incorporation of hydrogenated vegetable oils and tallow showed 6.36 ± 0.03 to 14.10 ± 0.14. Nine local samples revealed RM values similar to external fat admixed samples. B2, B4, B5, L2–L8, and L10–L14 samples’ saponification values differed from the standard limits. Polenske, acid, Kirschner values and BR reading for L4, L6, L7, L8, L10, L12, L13, and L14 showed the worst results. All values varied significantly (p < 0.01).Conclusion:Local samples, L4, L6, L7, L8, L10, L12, L13, and L14, were assumed to be adulterated with external oils and fats. The quality of local ghee is questionable, as the samples contained more than 8% moisture, whereas pure ghee had less than 0.5% moisture.
Highlights
Ghee is the top-rated fat-rich milk product in the Indian subcontinent
The ghee samples were assessed for fat composition, Reichert Meissl (RM), saponification, Polenske, acid, Kirschner, and butyro refractometer (BR) values
All the branded samples contained more than 99.5% fat, but only three local samples showed more than 97% fat
Summary
Ghee is the top-rated fat-rich milk product in the Indian subcontinent It is prepared on both small and large scales. In Bangladesh, ghee is a top-rated dairy product and rich in milk fat sources. Ghee is primarily adulterated by vegetable/plant oils and animal body fats [11]. Animal body fats are admixed as an adulterant in ghee preparation. Their detection is more critical as the physical and chemical test values are within the standard range of clarified butter. Reichert Meissl (RM), saponification, Polenske, acid, Kirschner values, and butyro refractometer (BR) readings for milk fat are constant [16,17] These methods precisely determine the existence of oils and body fats in ghee [18]. Attempts were made to identify the added agent of adulteration
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