Tirumala laddus row: Samples of ghee used by TTD contained ‘foreign fat’ says NDDB report 

Together it contained ‘foreign fat’ which included beef tallow and fat drawn from abdomens of pigs, according to report by th National Dairy Development Board,

The samples of ghee used by Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) in the preparation of ritual offerings (Naivedyam) to Sri Venkateswara Swamy, the presiding deity of the world famous Tirumala temple, and Laddu Prasadamcontained fish oil, beef tallow (rendered form of beef suet) and lard (fat drawn from the abdomens of pigs) together called ‘foreign fat’ going by an analysis report of the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB)’s Centre for Analysis and Learning in Livestock and Food (CALF) located at Anand in Gujarat. 

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The CALF found that all five ‘S - values’ (mathematical equations used to determine the integrity of milk fat in dairy products) of a sample fell outside the corresponding limits, leading to the interpretation that the ghee contained those foreign fats along with soybean, olive, sunflower, rapeseed, linseed, wheat and maize germ, cotton seed and coconut and palm kernel fat. 

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It was observed that the test samples are to be considered as pure milk fat when all the five S - values fall inside the limits prescribed by ISO, the International Organisation for Standardization. Compliance with standards applicable to the determination of fat in milk and its products (ISO 17678:2019) is examined through gas chromatographic analysis of triglycerides. The CALF issued its reports to the TTD’s Water and Food Analysis Laboratory in July 2024.

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Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu had kicked up a major controversy by alleging at a meeting of the NDA MLAs, MPs and MLCs on September 18 that animal fat instead of ghee was used to make the Prasadam at Tirumala temple in 2019 - 24 when the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) was in power. 

YSRCP MP and TTD Trust Board former chairman Y.V. Subba Reddy on September 19 dared Mr. Naidu to prove the allegation and warned that if he failed to do so, a defamation suit would be filed against him for making what he called was a baseless accusation and hurting the sentiments of Hindus worldwide. 

Published - September 20, 2024 11:43 am IST