YouTuber Gaurav Taneja, aka Flying Beast, rejects iodine test as reliable method amid row over fake paneer in Gauri Khan’s restaurant

Interior designer and restaurateur Guari Khan was recently caught in a controversy after an influencer criticised her Mumbai restaurant, Torii, for serving fake paneer. Influencer Sarthak Sachdeva based his claims after testing paneer at various restaurants/cafes of celebrities, the viral social media post though taken down attracted comments and reactions from many users. And now YouTuber and dairy company co-founder Gaurav Taneja has rejected the test done by the influencer on the paneer served by the actress’ restaurant.  

Gaurav Taneja’s comments on claims of Gauri Khan’s fake paneer 

Flying Beast Gaurav Taneja claimed that the iodine test used to detect fake paneer is not a reliable method. He explained that the iodine test is not the right method for determining the purity of paneer because many fake cottage cheese can pass it.  He further highlighted that the test only recognise starch and not the entire product for its authenticity. He also said that influencers often use iodine method for testing paneer’s fakeness but because it doesn't tell its actual components this is not the correct method to test the quality of paneer. Gaurav Taneja’s comments came from his years of experience in the dairy industry. 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Gaurav Taneja (Flying Beast) (@taneja.gaurav)

Citing recent reports, Taneja claimed that paneer is one of the most adulterated products in the food market. 

He explained how fake paneer is made by saying that first fat is separated from milk to produce cream and ghee, the leftover milk without fat is mixed with vegetable or palm oil to retain the fat content. This milk is used to make paneer which does not contain starch as the fat is not milk fat but from oils. So, the iodine would not react due to lack of starch. He then let users decide the quality of paneer themselves.