THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:
Milma today refuted a YouTuber’s claims about harmful presence of urea in its milk packets, adding that the cooperative body is seeking legal action against the social-media channel for spreading canards against its products.
Kerala Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (KCMMF), known by its brand name Milma, said Mallu Magellan was “completely wrong” in his inference that the cooperative’s packed milk carried urea, which is an organic compound generally found in the urine of mammals.
Rubbishing the YouTuber’s litmus test, Milma said the 10-minute video was based on unscientific procedures and called for strict measures against the channel. “Milma has always been known for its quality milk, as our product hits the market after a series of safety tests,” pointed out K.S. Mani, Chairman of the 1980-founded KCMMF. “We have enjoyed immense customer trust, which no malicious propaganda can tarnish”, he added.
According to the latest data released in May 2023, by the Ministry of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Government of India, the Malabar Regional Cooperative Milk Producers’ Union under Kerala Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation (Milma) produces the best quality milk in the country.
The microbial load in the milk is determined through Methylene Blue dye Reduction Test (MBRT), in which methylene blue is added to the milk sample and time required for the discoloration is measured. The disappearance of the colour of the dye in a long time indicates the high quality of the milk. The average MBRT of milk collected from the Malabar region had hit 204 minutes in the financial year 2021-22. “Milma intends to increase the MBRT to 236 minutes in the near future”, said Mani.
Milma said the YouTuber was “ridiculous” in concluding the presence of urea following his red litmus paper turning blue after dipping it for 30 seconds in a solution of Milma milk laced with soya-bean powder.
“The presence of urea actually gives milk a deep yellow colour. Litmus tests are incapable of finding high amounts of urea. For that, experts go for tests using para-Dimethylaminobenzaldehyde, which is an organic compound containing amine and aldehyde moieties,” Milma Manager (Quality Assurance & Marketing) Murukan VS revealed. “In any case, urea up to 0.02 per cent is found in cow’s milk for dietary reasons. This is natural and does not show the prospect of any harm to human beings.”
The YouTuber, in his November 25 video, claimed that Milma, pooled in urea to improve the thickness of the packed milk. The first half of the visuals shows him carrying a similar “litmus test” that ends up proving the absence of formalin, another pungent organic compound scientifically named formaldehyde.
The Thiruvananthapuram-headquartered KCMMF, which was established as a state adjunct of the National Dairy Programme ‘Operation Flood’, has 3,300 cooperative societies under it. Milma procures milk measuring more than 14 lakh litres a day from around 10 lakh dairy farmers of Kerala.
