The report gains significance following the allegation by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu that Tirupati Laddus were prepared using animal fats during the time of the previous YSRCP government.
Published Sep 19, 2024 | 7:52 PM ⚊ Updated Sep 19, 2024 | 7:52 PM
Tirumala Tirupati Temple. (TTD Official Website)
In September this year, the Ghee Committee appointed by the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) to study the existing procurement system and suggest measures to improve it, submitted a report.
“During several meetings, the Executive Officer, Tirumala Tirupathi Devasthanams reviewed the cow ghee procurement process and quality issues in depth and noticed that there are several issues affecting the quality of Laddu prasadams,” the report said. “The quality of Laddu as perceived by the devotees refers to its taste and aroma,” the report said.
“Keeping the above observations in view, the Executive Officer has asked for a detailed Report from the Ghee Committee,” it added.
Following the evaluation of the whole process, the committee suggested some measures to improve the procurement.
The report gains significance following the allegation by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu that the Laddus were prepared using animal fats during the time of the previous YSRCP government.
However, TTD officials debunked it and told South First that animal fats were never used to prepare the prasadam.
It noted the current system of TTD for cow ghee procurement:
“The quality of Laddu as perceived by the devotees refers to its taste and aroma. The process and the type and quality of ingredients majorly influence the quality of any food. In the case of Tirupathi Laddu, since the process and ingredients are optimised, it is the quality of the ingredients, which needs to be taken care with respect to improving the quality of Laddu,” the committee said.
The committee suggested that the dairies approved after the tender evaluation process should be physically inspected by a committee including TTD Officials and Ghee Committee Members for Technical Evaluation of the capacity and capability of the dairies for producing and supplying cow ghee.
It said it has to be done if already not inspected within a year from the date of tender opening.
The committee suggested measures for the upgradation of labs to ensure compliance with tender conditions including a Sensory Evaluation process to be established including a selection of panel members, infra required and training to be given, to ensure the supply of high aroma Ghee to suit the needs of TTD for the preparation of quality laddus.
“Ghee, an expensive edible fat, is often suspected/reported to be adulterated with cheaper oils/fats. Hence, thorough objective testing is mandatory to confirm the genuineness of cow ghee. At present, the cow ghee is subjected to some wet chemistry testing in the TTD in-house laboratory and is accepted or otherwise. However, such testing is not a foolproof method to ensure the purity of ghee. Hence, the recently included FSSAI specifications, namely, detection of beta-sitosterol (using RP-HPLC) and fatty acid composition (using GC-FID) as per the FSSAI methods of analysis shall be carried out,” the report said.
The committee suggested creating more storage capacity and the standards to be followed in creating the capacity considering the shelf life of ghee.
“Present system of cow ghee storage is limited to 7 days. An observation of the facility calls for the following upgradation: Upgradation of the storage facility for stocking cow ghee for a requirement of 15 days,” it said.
The committee also suggested a time bound upgradation of the laboratory of the TTD to ensure unadulterated ghee supply.
“Training of sensory panel and up gradation of the laboratory for objective testing shall be done on priority. Testing of ghee for all the parameters as per the tender conditions is critical to ensure good quality cow ghee is procured. TTD shall invest on the required infrastructure to conduct the tests on priority. TTD shall also recruit/train personnel to operate such a testing centre,” it said.
“Ghee samples that fail the tests for objective parameters meant for detection of adulteration as reported by the TTD laboratory may also be tested in an NABL accredited and FSSAI approved laboratory under intimation to FSSAI authorities,” it added.
The committee said that on confirmation of the non-compliance, legal action such as forfeiture of deposit, blacklisting of the dairy etc, shall be contemplated.
(Compiled by SF desk)
