Vol. 22 No.3 May-June 2002

We tested 4 brands of vanilla ice cream and 4 samples of ice cream sold loose in Ahmedabad. The brands tested were Amul, Havmor, Kwality Walls Max and Vadilal Dairy Premium. The loose samples were purchased from Amiraj Classic, Niruben Desai, Patel Dairy and Shree Janta. They all were tested against the specifications of the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), the Prevention of Food Adulteration (PFA) Act, and Codex.

• Among the conforming brands Amul ranked first followed by Max.

• Microbial contamination indicates poor sanitary pra-ctices or improper transport and storage. All the samples were found microbially contaminated, except Amul, Kwality Walls Max and Havmor. The PFA Act, which is mandatory, does not cover microbial contamination, a serious health hazard.
  
• Total Colony Count : Vadilal had 174x104/gm of total colony count. All the loose samples also had very high levels. The BIS has set a limitof 25x104/gm.
  
• Coliform : Most of the samples had coliforms and E.coli which may cause gastro-enteritis and urinary tract infections. The BIS specifies that the coliform count should not exceed 100/gm.
  
• Vadilal recorded 260/gm. All the loose samples also had a very high level of coliform.
  
• E.coli : Classic, Niruben, and Patel Dairy were found with E.coli. There are no Indian standards for E.coli.
  
• Long exposure to pesticides can affect neural functions. All the samples on fat basis were checked for DDT, aldrin dieldrin, heptachlor, lindane and phorate. Havmor was found with 0.21 ppm heptachlor against the PFA limit of 0.15 ppm. All the rest were found with traces or within the limits, except Niruben which had no trace of any pesticide residues.
  
• In the test for fat content in ice cream, Niruben (3.8) and Classic (7) could not meet the BIS and PFA limit of minimum 10 per cent fat.
  
• Minimum 3.5 per cent protein should be there in an ice cream, as per the PFA Act. Havmor (3.2), Classic (3.0), Shree Janta (2.8) and Niruben (3.0) could not conform to the PFA Act.
  
• As per the BIS, the weight of an ice cream should not be less than 525gm/lt while Codex has given the limit as 475gm/lt. Out of the 20 cups tested in the branded section, 12 cups of Vadilal, 5 cups of Max and 1 cup of Havmor were found underweight.
  
• We tested the samples for their sensory qualities. Amul was liked the most by our panellists.

Details of the test report can be had in INSIGHT

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