A ghee lab report checks two things: quality — moisture, free fatty acids and peroxide value — and identity, meaning whether the fat is genuinely milk fat, through the Reichert-Meissl value, butyro-refractometer reading and Baudouin test. Read each value against the FSSAI limit, and check that the batch code matches your jar. The rest of this guide takes the values one at a time.
Each line on a report answers a plain question: is this dry, is it fresh, and is it really made from milk? The limits below come from the ghee standard in the FSSAI Food Products Standards regulation, in the compendium version dated 20 December 2022. Explanations of what each test measures come from FSSAI's manual of methods for milk and milk products.
At a glance
- FSSAI limits for ghee: moisture at most 0.5 per cent, milk fat at least 99.5 per cent, free fatty acids at most 2.0 per cent as oleic acid.
- Identity values: a butyro-refractometer reading of 40.0 to 44.0 at 40 °C, a Reichert-Meissl value of at least 24.0, a Polenske value of 0.5 to 2.0, a negative Baudouin test, and no β-sitosterol.
- FSSAI's manual gives fresh ghee a free fatty acid content of 0.09 to 0.28 per cent and a peroxide value of zero; the ghee standard sets no peroxide limit.
- A report describes only the jar whose batch code it carries, and covers only the tests it lists: composition tests say nothing about pesticides, heavy metals or aflatoxins.
- NABL accreditation covers named tests, so check the laboratory's scope, not just its logo.
What tests appear on a ghee lab report?
A report checked against the FSSAI ghee standard will list moisture, free fatty acids and a set of identity values that show whether the fat is milk fat, because the standard sets a limit or range for each. A lab may also report peroxide value, although the ghee standard sets no limit for it.
| Parameter | What it measures | FSSAI limit for ghee |
|---|---|---|
| Moisture | Water left in the fat | 0.5 per cent maximum |
| Milk fat | How much of the product is fat | 99.5 per cent minimum |
| Free fatty acids (as oleic acid) | Fat that has broken down | 2.0 per cent maximum |
| Peroxide value | Early oxidation | No limit set for ghee |
| Butyro-refractometer (BR) reading at 40 °C | How the fat bends light | 40.0 to 44.0 |
| Reichert-Meissl (RM) value | Short-chain fatty acids typical of milk fat | 24.0 minimum |
| Polenske value | A second group of volatile fatty acids | 0.5 to 2.0 |
| Iodine value | A further fat constant set by the standard | 25 to 38 |
| Saponification value | A further fat constant set by the standard | 205 to 235 |
| Baudouin test | A marker for sesame oil, and so for vanaspati | Negative |
The same standard also requires β-sitosterol, a plant sterol, to be absent, and sets a fatty acid composition that ghee must meet. Not every report includes these. Limits are amended from time to time, so check that a report states which version of the standard it measured against.
What do moisture and free fatty acids tell you?
They tell you how well the ghee was made and how fresh it is. Moisture is the water left after clarification, and the FSSAI limit is 0.5 per cent. Free fatty acids measure fat that has broken down; the limit is 2.0 per cent. Fresh ghee sits far below the free fatty acid limit.
Moisture is measured simply: a weighed sample is dried in an oven at 105 °C until its weight stops changing, and the loss is reported as a percentage. The FSSAI standard describes ghee as the product of processes that remove almost all the water, so the moisture figure is a direct check on that step.
Free fatty acids are released when fat molecules split. FSSAI's manual gives the free fatty acid content of fresh ghee as 0.09 to 0.28 per cent, with an average of 0.16 per cent, and notes that sensory quality falls as the figure rises. It also says that highly acidic ghee oxidises faster and keeps poorly. A result of, say, 0.3 per cent is well within the limit; a result close to 2.0 per cent passes but suggests ghee that is not fresh.
What does peroxide value measure?
Peroxide value measures the first products of oxidation, the process that eventually makes ghee taste rancid. FSSAI's manual states that fresh ghee has a peroxide value of zero. It also notes that the figure shows how far oxidation has gone, not how long the ghee will keep. The ghee standard sets no peroxide limit.
The same table does set peroxide limits for butter oil and anhydrous milk fat, just not for ghee. So a report that lists no peroxide value for ghee is not necessarily hiding anything; the standard simply does not require it. If a report does include it, a reading near zero is what you want.
The manual reports that no peroxides were detected in ghee kept at 37 °C for two months, but they appeared by the third and fourth months. Our guide to ghee storage and shelf life covers how to slow it at home.
How do the RM value and BR reading show that the fat is milk fat?
They measure properties that milk fat has and most other fats do not. The RM value counts short-chain fatty acids such as butyric acid, which are peculiar to milk fat; the FSSAI minimum is 24.0. The BR reading measures how the melted fat bends light; ghee must fall between 40.0 and 44.0 at 40 °C.
FSSAI's manual explains that butyric acid contributes about three-quarters of the RM value and caproic acid about a quarter. It gives a typical RM value for cow and buffalo ghee of about 28. Among common vegetable oils, only coconut and palm kernel contain these volatile acids, and both have an RM value of about 7. Mixing them into ghee pulls the figure down.
The BR reading works differently. The manual gives milk fat a range of 40 to 43 and most vegetable oils and fats a reading above 50, while animal body fats fall between 44 and 51. It has a blind spot: coconut oil reads 38 to 39 and palm oil 39 to 40, close to milk fat. So a report should show several identity values, not one.
Two cautions. A low RM value is not automatically proof of adulteration: the manual notes that ghee from animals fed cotton seed can have an RM value of about 20. And a pass on these values shows the fat behaves like milk fat; it cannot confirm which animal or which farm the milk came from.
What does a negative Baudouin test mean?
It means no sesame oil was detected, which is how labs screen for vanaspati. Indian rules have long required vanaspati, a hydrogenated vegetable fat, to contain sesame oil as a marker. In the Baudouin test, sesame oil turns pink with furfural and acid. Ghee should be negative.
FSSAI's manual cites a 1962 notification requiring vanaspati to contain at least 5 per cent sesame oil by weight, precisely so that it can be detected in ghee. Sesame oil contains sesamol, which reacts with furfural in the presence of hydrochloric acid to give a lasting pink or red colour. A positive result means sesame oil is present. The current FSSAI vanaspati standard still requires enough sesame oil that vanaspati diluted to one part in five with groundnut oil gives a measurable Baudouin colour.
The test finds the sesame marker, not vegetable fat in general. A blend made with an unmarked oil would not turn pink, which is why the identity values above matter. For what you can and cannot check in your own kitchen, see how to tell if ghee is pure.
What is a batch code, and why does it matter?
A batch code is the mark on the label that ties a jar to one production run. FSSAI's labelling regulations define it as an identification mark by which food can be traced in manufacture and identified in distribution, and require it on the label. A lab report is only meaningful if its code matches your jar.
A single certificate covering "all our ghee" tells you about one sample tested once. A matching code means the numbers describe the ghee you are actually eating.
Every Himdhara jar carries a batch code, and the report for each batch is published on the lab reports page before that batch ships.
What does NABL accreditation mean on a report?
NABL, the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories, gives formal recognition that a laboratory is technically competent to carry out specific tests, based on third-party assessment against international standards. For testing laboratories that standard is ISO/IEC 17025. Accreditation covers named tests, not everything a lab does.
A lab can be accredited for some tests and not others, so a logo on a report does not prove every line falls within the accredited scope. NABL's website lets you search its list of accredited laboratories and check a lab's scope. A report from an unaccredited lab is not necessarily wrong; it carries less outside assurance.
What does a ghee lab report not tell you?
It tells you nothing about tests that were not run. Composition and identity values say nothing about pesticide residues, heavy metals or aflatoxins. The FSSAI ghee standard refers those to a separate contaminants regulation, and they need separate tests. A report should list every test performed; anything missing was not tested.
We say this plainly about our own reports: the published report for Himdhara's batch HIM101 does not include heavy-metal, pesticide or aflatoxin tests. When you read any brand's report, work through it in this order:
- Match the batch code on the report to the one on your jar.
- Read the list of parameters and note what is absent as well as what is present.
- Compare each result with its limit, and check which version of the FSSAI standard the limits come from.
- Look at where results sit within the range, not only whether they pass. Free fatty acids near the ceiling pass, but they are not fresh.
- Check the laboratory: its name, whether it is accredited, and whether the tests fall within its scope.
The short version
Moisture and free fatty acids tell you whether ghee was made well and is still fresh; peroxide value, where it appears, shows early oxidation. The RM value, BR reading and Baudouin test together show whether the fat is milk fat, and no single one of them is enough alone. A report is only useful if its batch code matches your jar, and it only covers the tests it lists. Accreditation is recognition for specific tests, so check the scope rather than the logo.
Sources
Further reading behind the figures above. Himdhara's own numbers — yields, batch results — come from our production records and the batch reports on the lab reports page.
- Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (2022). Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011, compendium Version XXVI (20.12.2022), regulation 2.1.8, Standard for Milk Fat Products. FSSAI.
- Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (2015). Manual of Methods of Analysis of Foods: Milk and Milk Products, section 13, Ghee. FSSAI.
- Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (2025). Food Safety and Standards (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020, compendium Version VIII. FSSAI.
- National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories. Why Laboratory Accreditation? NABL.