A viral Instagram reel has sparked a heated debate online after a food vlogger alleged that a well-known packaged milk brand failed to curdle during a homemade paneer experiment.
In the now-viral reel,
posted by Instagram creator hey_himaa, the influencer explained that her mother had ordered Amul Taaza milk through Swiggy Instamart to prepare paneer at home. According to the creator, the family decided to make paneer themselves because “pure paneer” is difficult to find in the market.
To test the milk, they reportedly boiled it and added the juice of three lemons in an attempt to separate the milk solids from the whey, a common process used while making paneer. However, the milk allegedly did not curdle properly, leading the influencer to conclude that the milk was “nakli” or “fake”.
Wanting to verify whether the issue was caused by their preparation method, the family conducted another experiment using Mother Dairy cow milk. This time, the influencer claimed, only half a lemon was needed for the milk solids to separate successfully.
Based on this comparison, the creator alleged that the Amul milk was not genuine. In the end, she also said, ‘Clearly samajh aa raha hai ki amul ka doodh nakli hai.”
In the second part of the viral video series, the content creator purchased the same variety of milk from an offline store and repeated the paneer experiment to address criticism online. This time, she claimed that the milk began curdling shortly after lemon juice was added, which she said indicated that the milk was fresh.
The creator stated that the follow-up video was specifically aimed at users who had argued that this particular variant of milk does not curdle at all. According to her, adding any acidic substance, such as lemon juice, to milk should naturally cause it to curdle, as that is one of the basic properties of milk.
The clip quickly gained traction across social media platforms, drawing reactions from users as well as responses from the companies involved.
Responding to the allegations, Swiggy commented, “That’s not the experience we wish for you, and we would like to address this over a call. Please share the order ID, or your registered mobile number, so we can reach out to you at the earliest.”
Amul also issued a response beneath the reel, saying, “We’re concerned to know about your experience. Please DM us your contact number, residential address with pin code and the batch number so we can investigate this further.”
As the debate intensified online, several users attempted to explain the science behind the incident, while others supported the influencer’s concerns over food quality and adulteration.
“Amul TAAZA se paneer nai niklega. @tech_spert is absolutely correct. Amul TAAZA and amul skimmed milk are totally different. I am a science student and an engineer,” one user wrote.
Another user commented, “It’s Homogenised and Pasteurised milk. Also it’s having low fat compared to others. Homogenised itself means that the Particles which are present in the Milk is Mixed at the Higher Pressure and Temperature. So isn’t easy to Make Paneer from it. I have done many tests on this, You can hardly get 100-150 gms paneer from it ! So think before Uploading such Videos.”
A third user expressed larger concerns about food safety in India, writing, “We Indians must wake up now. Milk adulteration, fake food, chemicals, and unsafe products are destroying trust across the country. If we have the internet, we also have the power to expose, question, and demand accountability. Enough is enough — it’s time to act.”
Addressing critics who blamed the issue on low-fat milk, the influencer later clarified her stance in the comments section. “To the people saying it’s low fat milk, that should affect the quality and texture of the paneer, not whether the milk curdles at all !! The milk was properly boiling and I added multiple lemons, it still didn’t curdle properly. That was the whole point of the video,” she wrote.
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Some users shared similar experiences, with one person commenting, “Brooo this happened with me too,” while another joked, “Tere chakkar mai maine try kiya mera fatt gaya 🤬”
Several others defended the dairy brand and suggested the issue stemmed from a lack of understanding about different milk variants. “It’s not the milk, it’s the education 👏. @amul_india please roshni daliya on Toned milk and full fat/ full cream milk! Ye wala milk bass chai n all ke liya accha hotha hain it’s toned milk. If u want to use the milk for Curd, Cheese use full fat milk or full cream milk,” one user said.
Another strongly criticised the brand, writing, “Amul sabse ghatiya doodh hai mat piyo yeh doodh … Gokul use karo,” while one more user humorously remarked, “Nimboo nakli tha.”
