What is Beef Tallow and Lard Found in Tirupati's Prasadam Laddu?

Today, some of the samples tested by the National Dairy Development Board have shown startling results. The test was conducted at NDDB's Centre of Analysis and Learning in Livestock and Food Lab at Sri Venkateswara Temple in Tirupati.

The test revealed that the laddus served as Prasadam at the Tirupati temple contained non-vegetarian ingredients. This is the result of samples when Jagan Mohan Reddy's government was in power in Andhra Pradesh. 

TDP is attacking YSRCP

The Tirupati laddu is distributed at the revered Sri Venkateswara Temple in Tirupati, which is run by the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD). On Wednesday, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu had alleged that substandard ingredients and animal fat were used in the making of the famous Tirupati laddu during the previous Jagan government.  However, Jagan's party (YSRCP) has rejected the claim.

But the results from the NDDB lab in Gujarat show that the ghee used to make the iconic Tirupati laddu prasadam contained animal fats, including beef and fish oil. After these test results came out, there has been widespread outrage and allegations of disrespecting religious sentiments.

State IT Minister Nara Lokesh also criticised the previous YS Jagan Mohan Reddy government on the issue.

Lord Venkateswara Swamy Temple in Tirumala is our most sacred temple. I am shocked to learn that the Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy administration used animal fat instead of ghee in the Tirupati prasadam.

Breaking: Test report confirms beef fat, fish oil used in making laddus at Tirupati Temple.

Massive betrayal of Hindu Aastha! pic.twitter.com/J1hdV2J9MW

— Rahul Shivshankar (@RShivshankar) September 19, 2024

What the report says about the method of testing

The report lists potential foreign fats, including soybean, sunflower, olive, rapeseed, linseed, wheat germ, maize germ, cottonseed, fish oil, coconut and palm kernel fats, palm oil, beef and lard. Report further says,

The S value of all the equations for the sample coded as AB021253 is falling outside the range prescribed by the method," the lab report said, describing its methodology. If an S-value falls outside the relevant range, consider having foreign fat in the sample. 

What is beef tallow 

Beef tallow cannot be considered vegetarian because it comes from animal fat, especially cow fat. Based on the fact that it comes from cows' fat, it is an animal byproduct that doesn't fit with a meatless diet.

Beef tallow is basically processed beef fat, which means it has been through a special process to make it less solid. It can be used in cooking like suet or fat, but it is different because of the way it is made.

The hard fat around the hips and thighs of the cow is where tallow comes from. Before it is carried out, this fat is called suet, and it feels rougher than tallow. In the rendering process, the suet is slowly melted to get rid of any flaws and make the product smoother.

On the other hand, Lard is a semi-solid fat derived from the fatty tissues of pigs. It is classified as a non-vegetarian product because it is an animal fat and is not suitable for vegetarian or vegan diets.

In India, cow ghee, a popular dairy product, is a major concern due to its potential adulteration with vegetable oils and animal body fats. UV fluorescence and paper chromatography are used to distinguish pure and contaminated ghee, but these methods are not sensitive and require expensive analytical procedures and advanced facilities.

But the test results of Prasadam by NDDB raise many concerns about religious sentiments, food adulteration, and most importantly, transparency, as these adulterations are hard to suspect.

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