A2 Ghee vs Regular Ghee, and How to Check if Desi Ghee Is Pure
By Alyaara Naturals team · Updated
A2 ghee is ghee made only from the milk of cows that give A2 milk, usually indigenous Indian breeds such as Gir. Regular cow ghee is made from any cow's milk. The bigger difference you can taste is usually the method: bilona ghee is made from curd churned into butter, while most packaged ghee is made from cream. Both can be pure; the checks below help you spot adulterated ghee.
What "A2" means
Cow's milk contains a protein called beta-casein, which comes in two common types, A1 and A2. Indigenous Indian breeds such as Gir, Sahiwal and Red Sindhi mostly give A2 milk, while the milk of many crossbred dairy cows contains both. Ghee is almost entirely milk fat, with only traces of protein, so what sets A2 ghee apart is mainly its source: which cows, and how the ghee is made.
Bilona ghee vs cream ghee
- Bilona method: milk is boiled, set into curd, and the curd is churned (bilona) into butter (makkhan). The butter is slowly simmered until the water cooks off and the milk solids turn golden. This takes far more milk per kilo of ghee.
- Cream (malai) method: cream is separated from milk by machine and heated directly into ghee. It is faster and cheaper, and how most packaged ghee is made.
Bilona ghee usually has a stronger aroma and a grainy (danedar) texture.
What "desi ghee" means
"Desi ghee" (देसी घी) usually means ghee made from cow or buffalo milk the traditional way, as opposed to vanaspati (hydrogenated vegetable fat), which is sometimes sold as "ghee-like" fat. "Shudh desi ghee" (शुद्ध देसी घी) simply means pure desi ghee.
How to check if desi ghee is pure at home
Home checks can catch obvious adulteration, but none of them proves purity; only a lab test can.
- Smell and texture: pure ghee smells of cooked butter and, in cool weather, sets grainy. A waxy, smell-less fat is a warning sign.
- Melting: a spoonful of pure ghee melts quickly in a warm pan and turns clear golden-brown. If it melts slowly or stays pale, it may contain other fats.
- Iodine test for starch: put half a teaspoon of ghee in a clear glass bowl and add two or three drops of tincture of iodine. If it turns blue, that suggests mashed potato or other starch has been added. This is one of the quick tests in FSSAI's DART (Detect Adulteration with Rapid Test) book.
- Price: making 1 kg of bilona ghee takes many litres of milk. Ghee priced far below the cost of that milk deserves a closer look.
Which should you buy?
Choose A2 ghee if you specifically want ghee from indigenous cow milk, and bilona ghee if you want the traditional taste and grain. Our A2 Desi Cow Ghee is made only from Gir cow milk by the bilona method, and our Pure Cow Ghee is bilona churned from farm-fresh cow milk. See all our ghee.