Milk Adulteration Calculator — Water Addition Detection

What is Milk Adulteration?

Milk adulteration is the addition of water or other substances to increase volume or mask quality deficiencies. Water addition is the most common form, detectable through changes in CLR (Corrected Lactometer Reading), density, and SNF content.

Adulteration is illegal under FSSAI regulations and the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act.

How Water Addition Affects Milk Parameters

When water is added to milk:

How to Use This Calculator

1. Enter the measured CLR of the suspect milk
2. Enter the fat percentage measured by Gerber test
3. The calculator estimates the percentage of water added
4. Cross-check with SNF calculation for confirmation

Formula — Estimated Water Addition

Water Added (%) = (Expected SNF − Measured SNF) / Expected SNF × 100

Where:

• Expected SNF is calculated from CLR using the standard formula
• Measured SNF comes from your Gerber + Lactometer reading

Quick Adulteration Check (Lactometer Only)

For cow milk, the minimum acceptable CLR at 27°C is 26°.

If CLR is 20°, the approximate water addition:

Water Added % ≈ (Standard CLR − Sample CLR) / Standard CLR × 100

CLR Reference Values

FSSAI Standards

Per FSSAI Schedule I:

• Cow milk density: Minimum 1.028 g/mL
• Buffalo milk density: Minimum 1.030 g/mL
• CLR: Minimum 26° (at 27°C)

Common Adulterants Beyond Water

Always confirm suspected adulteration with laboratory confirmatory tests before rejecting a consignment.