Red flags against gelatin use in curd
Sri Lankan dairy product makers who use gelatin, a protein made from collagen, in curd as a binding agent, will face prosecution from April 1.
Director General of Health Services Dr Anil Jasinghe said manufacturers have been notified from January 28 onwards.
He said not only small-scale manufacturers and entrepreneurs, but leading companies are also using gelatin to solidify milk.
Public Health Inspectors will be asked to undertake monitoring over the next two months.
“They can detect gelatin through lab tests,’’ he added.
Dr Jasinghe said the use of gelatine to solidify milk will not be legalised despite requests from manufacturers.
The deputy director general (environment health and food safety) Dr. Lakshman Gamlath, said gelatine in curd can harm pregnant women and infants - those less than a year old.
“In some instances, curd is used to manufacture medicine, or as a medicine itself. So, the presence of gelatin in curd can make it ineffective,’’ he said.
Dr Gamlath suggested consumers should be able to tell if gelatin has been mixed in curd. “If you scoop up a spoon of curd mixed with gelatin, you will notice a sharp edge from where the curd was taken while the pure curd will not show such a sign,’’ he explained.
Dr Gamlath said curd should have a pleasant odour, the characteristic flavour, and be without extraneous matter. Also curd should have 5% milk fat and 8% solid matter according to the Sri Lankan Food Act, he added.
“If any extraneous ingredients are mixed, then that will change the specific taste, smell or flavour of curd.’’
Dr Gamlath said manufactures are adding gelatin to cut production costs. “The reason is, if milk is fully heated, the quantity is reduced. So, to reduce losses, manufacturers add gelatin to solidify the milk easily.’’
As for jelly yoghurts, the secretary of the Public Health Inspector's Union of Sri Lanka, Mr Mahendra Baalasooriya said there are no standards applicable to the product, which children love.
He cautioned about a fungus that grows between the jelly layer and the yoghurt, which can be harmful to health.
Some jelly yoghurt makers do mention the use of gelatin on their labels.