The festival of Holi is around the corner, and no Holi celebration is complete without a delectable dose of mawa gujiya, malpua, gulab jamun, dahi vada, kalakand and more. And one thing that is common to all these dishes is ‘Mawa’. And that is the reason the demand for mawa increases around the festival and also gives the players to follow unethical practices and use adulterants in making synthetic mawa.
As per Garhwal Post, a regional website, Food Safety department launched an intensive campaign against adulteration and during an inspection in Dhulkot, Vikasnagar, the department seized three quintals of cheese and 60 kg of mawa, which were to be supplied in Premnagar, Dhulkot, Selaqui, and Sahaspur.
As per reports, Ranchi district’s food safety wing has also started anti-adulteration drive 2025, which will focus on festing sweets, snacks, and beverages for contamination and unsafe additives. As per a TOI report, the team collected samples of khoya, paneer, chhena, laddoo jalebi, spices, and sauces from shops and restaurants on Ratu Road on March 8.
If you are also planning to buy mawa from the market gujiya, malpua, and other Holi delicacies, practice these 5 methods to do mawa purity test at home.
Common adulterants in mawa
The most common adulterants used in the process are starch, vegetable fats, blotting paper, chalk powder. It is said that starch increases bulk, while chalk powder imitates the appearance and vegetable fats alter the texture.
Method 1: As per the Food Standards and Safety Authority (FSSAI), for this test, all you need to do is, take a teaspoon of khoya from the packet and add it to a cup of hot water. Next, add a little bit of iodine in the cup. If the khoya turns blue after dropping iodine in it, then it has been adulterated using starch. If not, it is pure and is fit for human consumption.
Method 2: you need some sulphuric acid, which helps to test the presence of chemicals like formalin. All you need to do is, take a small khoya sample in a beaker and add some concentrated sulphuric acid in it. If there is a violet coloured formation in the sample, then it might be adulterated.
Method 3: This test can be done right at the time of buying mawa. As per FSSAI, fresh mawa has an oily and grainy texture. It tastes a bit sweet and leaves a trail of grease, when rubbed on your palm. All you need to do is, take some mawa before purchasing it and rub it on your palm. If it has the above characteristics, it is pure. One can also taste a bit to check if it has that natural sweetness to it or not.
Method 4: To test the presence of vanaspati in the sample, just add it to a container and then mix 2 tbsp hydrochloric acid and 1 tbsp sugar to it. If the mixture turns red, the sample is impure and is unfit for human consumption.
Method 5: Heat some mawa in a pan and add 1 tbsp sugar to it. As the sugar melts and if it starts leaving water on the sides of the pan, it is surely adulterated and is until for human consumption.
