Soon consumers will be able to identify spoilt milk before buying: CSIR

CFTRI division of CSIR started working on the issue of spoilt milk based on market feedback and now has achieved near to 100% success rate
Soon consumers will be able to identify spoilt milk before buying, claimed CSIR
Soon consumers will be able to identify spoilt milk before buying, claimed CSIR

Greater Noida: Ending up buying spoilt milk could soon be a thing of the past if CSIR is to be believed. CSIR will soon unveil a technology which will help a consumer in identifying spoilt milk without opening the packet of milk. Elaborating on the sidelines of the ongoing IDF World Dairy Summit 2022 at Expo Centre in Greater Noida, Prof Rajeshwar S Matche, Chief Scientist and Head, Food Packaging and Technology, CSIR-CFTRI, Mysuru said, "Ordinary people of India face this basic problem of buying a packet of milk which is spoilt but can't identify at the outlet itself. So, when the packet is opened at home for boiling the milk, only then do they get to know of spoilage. They end up feeling cheated."

A significant issue for the organized dairy industry as well, the CFTRI division of CSIR started working on this specific issue based on market feedback and has so far tested this label-based easy-to-use technology on milk, meat and Idli & Dosa batter.

CSIR-CFTRI team has been closely working with Nandini Dairy for experiments with near to 100% success rate. While doing so, the supply of the same packet of milk both in the morning and evening has been taken care of.

Tentatively called 'Time Temperature based Spoilage Indicator Testing', per packet costing of technology will be 20-25 paise which, the CSIR feels, will help us in implementing the technology at a mass scale.

"We are sensitive to both the issues of our Indian people and the affordability of that solution. The food items that have been tested so far are used at a mass scale, so we were sure about one thing from the beginning that the technology has to be affordable," said Ms Sridevi Annapurna Singh, Director, CSIR-Central Food Technological Research Institute, Mysuru who also chaired the session on 'Field Practices to Detect and Mitigate Risks'.

With technology in hand, CSIR is working with a technology company to automate the process, as manual sticking of labels on milk or other food item packet can slow down the process. Currently, labels can be put on only 60 milk packets per minute through manual intervention.

Once, automation is on board, CSIR will be all set to launch this radical technology not only in India but also overseas which may not be too far!

Others who spoke in the session were Chorekh Farrokh, Head of Food Safety Unit & Team Leader "Science Department" of CNIEL, France, Danielle Braga Chelini Pereira, Analytical Methodology Manager, Laticinios Bela Vista Ltd of Brazil, Par Waaben Hansen, Fellow Data Scientist at FOSS and Affiliated Associate Professor at the University of Copenhagen and Dr Naresh Kumar, Principal Scientist and In-Charge, National Referral Centre on Milk Quality and Safety, Dairy Microbiology Division, ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal.

About IDF World Dairy Summit (WDS)

This summit is an annual meeting of the global dairy sector, bringing together participants from all over the world. The participants' profile includes CEOs and employees of dairy processing companies, dairy farmers, suppliers to the dairy industry, academicians and government representatives etc.

WDS is a great way of gaining global exposure for the Indian industry which will attract attention to the smallholder milk production system of India and raise awareness. An exhibition space of over 6,900 square metres will be available to the exhibitors for showcasing activities.

About the Indian Dairy sector

India is leading the world dairy sector with a 6 percent growth, three times the global growth along with a per capita availability of 427 grams per day. Milk is the single largest agricultural commodity in the country valued at Rs 9.32 lakh crore and accounting for 23 per cent of the global share.

In India, milk production activity is mostly done by small and marginal dairy farmers with an average herd size of 2-3 animals. India has a diverse genetic pool of magnificent indigenous cattle and buffalo breeds-193 million cattle and about 110 million buffaloes, the largest genetic pool in the World.

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