Question

Which of the following dairy products has a maximum limit for "Total ash" as per FSSAI- standards?

• A. Medium fat dairy whitener
• B. Sweetened condensed partly skimmed milk
• C. Paneer
• D. Processed cheese

Hint:

FSSAI mandates a "Total ash on dry basis" maximum limit of 3% specifically for dairy whiteners to regulate mineral additives and neutralizer residues.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) prescribes specific compositional standards for dairy products to prevent adulteration and ensure consistent quality.
Total ash represents the inorganic residue remaining after the complete ignition of organic matter in a food sample.
Maximum limits on total ash are enforced for products like dairy whiteners to limit the excessive addition of mineral-based neutralizing agents or stabilizer salts.

Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
Under FSSAI standards, dairy whiteners (including low fat, medium fat, and high fat variants) have stringent specifications regarding chemical composition.
For medium fat dairy whitener, the total ash content on a dry matter basis is restricted to a maximum limit of 3% by weight.
This parameter is critical to ensure that the product is free from excessive inorganic stabilizers or neutralizers.
In contrast, FSSAI standards for products like processed cheese do not specify total ash as a primary regulatory limit, focusing instead on moisture and fat-on-dry-matter (FDM) content.
Paneer standards focus primarily on moisture (maximum 60%) and milk fat on dry matter (minimum 50%), without a designated maximum total ash specification.
Sweetened condensed milks also have ash specifications, but the total ash limit on dry basis is not the primary defining compositional standard in the same manner as dairy whiteners.

Step 3: Final Answer
The correct option is (A).