India's richest temple trust takes scientific route to ensure Prasadam purity

The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), which manages the Lord Venkateshwara temple at Tirumala Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh, has put in place a series of food-safety measures after the laddoo ghee adulteration controversy that shook devotees in September 2024. The row began after Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu alleged that laddoo prasad had been prepared with animal fat-laden ghee during the previous Jagan Mohan Reddy regime.

While the Special Investigation Team (SIT) found a major scam in ghee procurement, saying it caused losses of ₹234 crore over five years to the temple trust, it found no evidence of animal fat such as fish oil and lard in the adulterated ghee. Investigators, however, established the presence of vegetable oil and synthetic and chemical substances in the ghee supplied by contractors, though it was supposed to be derived from pure cow milk.

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Following the controversy, the TTD has moved to prevent adulteration in food materials used for laddoo prasad and other delicacies offered at the shrine. It has adopted the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India standards (FSSAI) for testing and noted that some suppliers had taken advantage of poor quality control systems while quoting very low and unviable rates of ₹320 to ₹411 per kg for ghee supply in tenders.

The TTD has since increased its testing parameters to 24 from the earlier eight and is now procuring ghee at around ₹650 per kg from suppliers such as Indapur Dairy, Mother Dairy and Nandini. Since March, it has also set up a state-of-the-art food testing laboratory at Tirumala at a cost of ₹23.5 crore, in line with FSSAI standards. The facility includes an AI-based e-nose and e-tongue, replacing the earlier system of testing based on human sensory organs. Prescribed by the Mysuru-headquartered Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI), the laboratory can detect the presence of Beta-sitosterol, fatty acids, preservatives and pesticides in ghee and other food materials supplied by contractors.

The latest corrective step is an MoU signed by the TTD with CFTRI to integrate scientific methods into its food systems. Officials said the partnership would bring scientific protocols across production, storage and testing to improve the safety, nutrition and quality of the prasadam. The MoU, described as the first of its kind for a temple in the country, was signed in the presence of Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Pralhad Joshi during the Research, Industry, Start-up and Entrepreneurship Conclave held in Bengaluru recently.

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Under the agreement, joint teams will develop and implement stricter quality-control standards and monitoring mechanisms covering procurement, preparation and distribution. The partnership will also work on packaging and shelf-life interventions to preserve prasadam without affecting its taste, texture or cultural value, while training TTD food analysts and handlers in advanced analytical techniques, sampling protocols, contaminant detection, ghee purity checks and aroma profiling. Senior CFTRI scientists will also make regular visits to TTD facilities to support implementation, validation studies and improvements in storage and procurement planning.