Fake and adulterated ghee is everywhere. Here are the home tests anyone can do, what a real lab report actually checks, and the proof we put in every box.
Real bilona ghee is expensive to make, so cheaters cut it with vanaspati (hydrogenated oil), refined vegetable or palm oil, animal fat, or even starch and mashed potato to fake the texture. It looks like ghee, but the nutrition — and safety — is gone. Knowing how to check protects your money and your family.
| # | Test | Pure ghee | Adulterated |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Palm test — put a little on your palm | Melts on its own with body heat | Stays solid / greasy |
| 2 | Heat test — melt 1 tsp in a pan | Melts fast, turns golden-brown, nutty smell | Melts slowly, stays pale yellow |
| 3 | Starch test — add a drop of iodine | No colour change | Turns blue/black (starch added) |
| 4 | Vanaspati test — add equal HCl + a pinch of sugar, shake | No red colour | Red/crimson layer (vanaspati) |
| 5 | Fridge test — refrigerate a spoon | Sets in one uniform layer | Separates into layers (oil mixed in) |
A kitchen test can flag obvious adulteration, but it can’t quantify fatty-acid profile, heavy metals or trace blends. For that you need a lab report from a brand you can verify — which is exactly why we publish ours.
| Parameter | What it proves |
|---|---|
| Vegetable oil / vanaspati | Not detected = no cheap-oil adulteration |
| Reichert & Polenske values | Confirms genuine milk-fat, not blended fat |
| Butyric acid & fatty-acid profile | Hallmark of real A2 cow ghee |
| Heavy metals | Within safe limits |
| Moisture / FFA | Freshness & correct processing |
We don’t ask you to trust a claim. Every batch ships with a third-party, FSSAI-aligned lab report, a batch code on the jar, and full traceability to a named village. Download a sample report below.
Latest batch lab report (image coming soon)
Genuine A2 ghee colour changes with season and feed — anywhere from pale gold to deep yellow. Pale or whitish ghee is not fake; in winter, grass-fed Pahadi Badri ghee is often lighter and sets grainy/granular, which is actually a sign of pure milk fat. Adulterated ghee is frequently suspiciously uniform and bright. Colour and texture alone prove nothing — the home tests above and a lab report do.
Look for: the cow breed named (e.g. Pahadi Badri), ‘A2’ with the breed (not just a sticker), bilona / hand-churned, an FSSAI licence number, a batch / lot code, and manufacture + best-before dates. Vague ‘pure desi ghee’ with no breed, no batch and no FSSAI number is a red flag.
Walk away if a brand can’t show a batch-wise lab report, won’t name the cow breed or village, has no process video, or prices ‘pure bilona’ suspiciously cheap. Genuine purity has a cost — see the price & size guide for why.
Named village, named breed, batch-wise lab report. Verify everything, then taste the difference.