Comparative study on the impact of seasonal variations on pure cow and buffalo ghee

Abstract

The quality and stability of ghee, a clarified milk fat widely used in South Asian cuisine and traditional medicine, are significantly influenced by environmental and processing conditions. This study investigates the effect of seasonal variations on the physico-chemical parameters of pure cow and buffalo ghee. Analytical parameters assessed include Butyro-refractometer (BR) readings, Reichert-Meissl (RM) values, Polenske values, and Kirschner values (IV). Ghee samples were produced using the creamery butter method to ensure consistency. Findings revealed that seasonal variations significantly affected all measured parameters, indicating a strong correlation between climatic factors and ghee composition. Notably, all values remained within the permissible thresholds established by AGMARK (1981) and the Food Safety and Standards Regulations (FSSR, 2011). A key observation was that buffalo ghee consistently exhibited higher Kirschner values (26.84-33.96) than cow ghee (20.74-24.14), underscoring the Kirschner index as a robust marker for distinguishing between the two types.