Mid infrared attenuated total reflection spectroscopy as a rapid tool to assess the quality of Sicilo-Sarde ewe’s milk during the lactation period after replacing soybean meal with scotch bean in the feed ration

This study investigates the potential of attenuated total reflection spectroscopy in the mid infrared (MIR) for monitoring changes in the quality of ewe’s milk as a function of lactation period and feeding systems. Twelve 5-year-old lactating Sicilo-Sarde ewes (third lambing) were kept in environmentally controlled sheepfolds and were divided into two homogenous weight matched groups (n = 6). Ewes were fed ad libitum with two iso-energetic diets (20% barley, 3% vitamin and mineral premix, and 77% soybean meal or scotch bean). Physico–chemical analyses and MIR (3000–900 cm⁻¹) were performed on milk samples after 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 weeks of lactation period. The inclusion of scotch bean in the diet resulted in a significant decrease (P ? 0.05) of fat content (7.85 g 100 g⁻¹ vs. 6.75 g 100 g⁻¹) and a significant increase (P ? 0.05) of lactose level (3.49 g 100 g⁻¹ vs. 3.61 g 100 g⁻¹). The principal component analysis (PCA) applied to the 1700–1500 cm⁻¹ spectral region showed only some discrimination between milk samples according to diet compositions. The best results were obtained in the 3000–2800 cm⁻¹ and 1500–900 cm⁻¹ spectral regions since a good discrimination between milk from ewes fed soybean meal from those fed scotch bean meal was observed. It can be concluded that these spectral regions could be considered as fingerprint, regions allowing a good identification of milk according to diet composition. However, the MIR failed to discriminate milk samples according to the lactation period for the two feeding systems.     

Prediction of coagulation properties, titratable acidity, and pH of bovine milk using mid-infrared spectroscopy

This study investigated the potential application of mid-infrared spectroscopy (MIR 4,000-900 cm⁻¹) for the determination of milk coagulation properties (MCP), titratable acidity (TA), and pH in Brown Swiss milk samples (n = 1,064). Because MCP directly influence the efficiency of the cheese-making process, there is strong industrial interest in developing a rapid method for their assessment. Currently, the determination of MCP involves time-consuming laboratory-based measurements, and it is not feasible to carry out these measurements on the large numbers of milk samples associated with milk recording programs. Mid-infrared spectroscopy is an objective and nondestructive technique providing rapid real-time analysis of food compositional and quality parameters. Analysis of milk rennet coagulation time (RCT, min), curd firmness (a₃₀, mm), TA (SH°/50 mL; SH° = Soxhlet-Henkel degree), and pH was carried out, and MIR data were recorded over the spectral range of 4,000 to 900 cm⁻¹. Models were developed by partial least squares regression using untreated and pretreated spectra. The MCP, TA, and pH prediction models were improved by using the combined spectral ranges of 1,600 to 900 cm⁻¹, 3,040 to 1,700 cm⁻¹, and 4,000 to 3,470 cm⁻¹. The root mean square errors of cross-validation for the developed models were 2.36 min (RCT, range 24.9 min), 6.86 mm (a₃₀, range 58 mm), 0.25 SH°/50 mL (TA, range 3.58 SH°/50 mL), and 0.07 (pH, range 1.15). The most successfully predicted attributes were TA, RCT, and pH. The model for the prediction of TA provided approximate prediction (R² = 0.66), whereas the predictive models developed for RCT and pH could discriminate between high and low values (R² = 0.59 to 0.62). It was concluded that, although the models require further development to improve their accuracy before their application in industry, MIR spectroscopy has potential application for the assessment of RCT, TA, and pH during routine milk analysis in the dairy industry. The implementation of such models could be a means of improving MCP through phenotypic-based selection programs and to amend milk payment systems to incorporate MCP into their payment criteria.     

Mid infrared and fluorescence spectroscopies coupled with factorial discriminant analysis technique to identify sheep milk from different feeding systems

Mid infrared spectroscopy (MIR) combined with multivariate data analysis was used to discriminate between ewes milk samples according to their feeding systems (controls, ewes fed scotch bean and ewes fed soybean). The MIR spectra were scanned throughout the first 11 weeks of the lactation stage. When factorial discriminant analysis (FDA) with leave one-out cross-validation was applied, separately, to the three spectral regions in the MIR (i.e. 3000–2800, 1700–1500 and 1500–900 cm⁻¹), the classification rate was not satisfactory. Therefore, the first principal component (PCs) scores (corresponding to 3, 10 and 10 for, respectively, the 3000–2800, 1700–1500 and 1500–900 cm⁻¹) of the principal component analysis (PCA) extracted from each of the data sets were pooled (concatenated) into a single matrix and analysed by FDA. Correct classification amounting to 71.7% was obtained. Finally, the same procedure was applied to the MIR and fluorescence data sets and 98% of milk samples were found to be correctly classified. Milk samples belonging to control and soybean groups were 100% correctly classified. Regarding milk samples originating from the scotch bean group, only 2 out of 33 samples were misclassified. It was concluded that concatenation of the data sets collected from the two spectroscopic techniques is an efficient tool for authenticating milk samples according to their feeding systems, regardless of the lactation stage.     

Fluorescence spectroscopy coupled with factorial discriminant analysis technique to identify sheep milk from different feeding systems

Rapid measurements of milk properties and discrimination of milk origin are necessary techniques for quality control of milk products. The present study was undertaken to evaluate the potential of using front face fluorescence spectroscopy (FFFS) and synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy (SFS) for monitoring the quality of forty-five ewe’s milk samples originating from different feeding systems. Physico-chemical analyses and fluorescence spectra were conducted on samples during lactation periods (the first 11 weeks). The principal component analysis (PCA) separately applied to the physico-chemical and fluorescence spectral data showed only small discrimination between milk samples based on lactation periods and diet compositions. Similar results were obtained by separately applying factorial discriminant analysis (FDA) on each technique. In a second step, concatenation technique were applied to FFF spectra acquired after excitation set at 250, 290, 380 nm and emission set at 410 nm. Results obtained showed a good discrimination among milk samples with regard to feeding systems given to the ewes throughout the lactation periods. In addition, a better discrimination was observed with FFFS than with SFS.     

Utilisation of mid-infrared spectroscopy for determination of the geographic origin of Gruyère PDO and L’Etivaz PDO Swiss cheeses

The potential of mid-infrared spectroscopy (MIR), using an attenuated total reflectance (ATR) cell, was evaluated for the authentication of 25 Gruyère PDO and L’Etivaz PDO cheeses produced at different altitudes in Switzerland. In order to test the ability of MIR to authenticate the investigated cheeses, chemometric tools, such as principal component analysis (PCA) and factorial discriminant analysis (FDA), were applied to the three spectral regions of the MIR (e.g. 3000–2800 cm⁻¹, 1700–1500 cm⁻¹, and 1500–900 cm⁻¹). By applying the FDA to the first 10 principal components (PCs) of the PCA applied to each spectral regions, the best rate of correct classification was obtained in the 3000–2800 cm⁻¹ and 1500–900 cm⁻¹ spectral regions, since 90.5% and 90.9% were achieved, respectively. It can be concluded that these two spectral regions could be considered as valuable tools for the determination of the geographical origin of the investigated cheeses.     

Genetic analysis of the Fourier-transform infrared spectra of bovine milk with emphasis on individual wavelengths related to specific chemical bonds

Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectra are used to predict the fat, protein, casein, and lactose contents of milk. These estimates are currently used to predict the individual estimated breeding values of animals. The objective of the present study was to estimate the genetic variation and heritabilities of the milk transmittance spectrum at each individual FTIR wave. Milk was sampled once per cow from a total of 1,064 Italian Brown Swiss cows from 30 herds, sired by 50 artificial insemination sires. The FTIR spectra of all samples were collected within 3 h of sampling from 25 mL of milk. The obtained spectral range comprised wavenumbers 5,000 to 930 × cm⁻¹, corresponding to wavelengths 2.00 to 10.76 μm and frequencies from 149.9 to 27.9 THz, for a total of 1,056 waves. These were acquired using a MilkoScan FT120 FTIR interferometer (Foss Electric A/S, Hillerød, Denmark). Each spectral data point was treated as a single trait and analyzed using an animal model REML method. The results indicated that the transmittance of the bovine milk FTIR spectrum was heritable for most individual waves in the wavenumber interval from 5,000 to 930 × cm⁻¹. Moreover, the transmittance of contiguous FTIR waves was much more highly correlated in terms of the average value and phenotypic variation, compared with genetic variation. In the present study, we characterized 5 regions of the FTIR spectrum that were relevant to the analysis of milk; 2 regions, one in the transition area between the short-wavelength infrared (SWIR) and mid-wavelength infrared (MWIR) divisions of the electromagnetic spectrum (SWIR-MWIR region) and another very short region in the MWIR division (MWIR-2 region), were characterized by very high phenotypic variability in the transmittance of individual milk samples within each wave. This was caused by the absorption peaks of water, which can mask the effects of other important milk components. These regions also showed high genetic variability in transmittance, and the heritability estimates of individual waves were generally very low (with some exceptions). The 3 other identified regions contained many transmittance peaks that represented important chemical bonds; these showed much lower phenotypic and genetic variability in terms of individual waves, but relatively higher and less variable heritability estimates. Among them, the SWIR region (near-infrared) showed a peculiar cyclic pattern of the heritability coefficients of transmittance, the MWIR-1 region was particularly important for the estimation of fat, and the MWIR-LWIR region (also known also as the “fingerprint region”) had 3 areas of relatively high heritability. In summary, we found that the transmittance data from the FTIR spectra of milk have genetic variability that may prove useful for the direct genetic improvement of dairy species, rather than only through indirect phenotypic predictions of individual milk quality and technological traits.     

Classification of Italian honeys by mid-infrared diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRIFTS)

Diffuse reflectance mid-infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS) and multivariate statistical analysis methods were used for the identification and classification of honey from different floral sources. The 82 honey samples (robinia, chestnut, citrus, polyfloral) were scanned by DRIFTS in the region 4000–600 cm⁻¹ and also transformed in 1st and 2nd derivatives. Spectral data were analyzed by principal component analysis, general discriminant analysis and classification tree analysis. Classification accuracy near 100% was obtained by discriminant and classification tree analyses. Classification models were successfully validated with one-third leave out method and a classification of about 100% were achieved.     

Effects of ultraviolet irradiation on chemical and sensory properties of goat milk

Sensory and chemical consequences of treating goat milk using an UV fluid processor were assessed. Milk was exposed to UV for a cumulative exposure time of 18 s and targeted UV dose of 15.8 ± 1.6 mJ/cm². A triangle test revealed differences between the odor of raw milk and UV irradiated milk. Oxidation and hydrolytic rancidity was measured by thiobarbituric acid reactive substances and acid degree values (ADV). As UV dose increased, there was an increase in thiobarbituric acid reactive substance values and ADV of the milk samples. A separate set of samples were processed using the fluid processor but with no UV exposure to see if lipase activity and agitation from pumping contributed to the differences in odor. The ADV increased at the same rate as samples exposed to UV; however, sensory studies indicated that the increase of free fatty acids was not enough to cause detectable differences in the odor of milk. Solid phase microextraction and gas chromatography were utilized for the analysis of volatile compounds as a result of UV exposure. There was an increase in the concentration of pentanal, hexanal, and heptanal (relative to raw goat milk) after as little as 1.3 mJ/cm² UV dose. Ultraviolet irradiation at the wavelength 254 nm produced changes in the sensory and chemical properties of fluid goat milk.     

Microbiological quality of raw milk used for small-scale artisan cheese production in Vermont: Effect of farm characteristics and practices

This study 1) evaluated the overall milk quality and prevalence of 4 target pathogens (Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella spp., and Escherichia coli O157:H7) in raw milk used for small-scale artisan cheesemaking and 2) examined specific farm characteristics and practices and their effect on bacterial and somatic cell counts (SCC). Raw milk samples were collected weekly from 21 artisan cheese operations (6 organic) in the state of Vermont that manufactured raw-milk cheese from cow (12), goat (5), or sheep (4) milk during the summer of 2008. Individual samples were examined for standard plate counts (SPC), coliform counts (CC), and SCC. Samples were also screened for target pathogens both quantitatively and qualitatively by direct plating and PCR. Overall, 86% of samples had SPC <10,000 cfu/mL, with 42% <1,000 cfu/mL. Additionally, 68% of samples tested were within pasteurized milk standards for coliform bacteria under the United States’ Grade A Pasteurized Milk Ordinance at <10 cfu/mL. Log₁₀ SPC and CC did not differ significantly among species. Similarly, method of sample delivery (shipped or picked up), farm type (organic or conventional), and duration of milking (year-round or seasonal) did not have significant effects on farm aggregated mean log₁₀ SPC, CC, or SCC. Strong positive correlations were observed between herd size and mean log₁₀ SPC and between log₁₀ SPC and CC as well as SCC when data from all animal species were combined. Although SCC for cow milk were significantly lower than those for goat and sheep milk, 98, 71, and 92% of cow, sheep, and goat milk samples, respectively, were within the compliance limits of the United States’ Grade A Pasteurized Milk Ordinance for SCC. Fourteen of the 21 farms (67%) were positive for Staph. aureus, detected in 38% of samples at an average level of 20 cfu/mL. Neither L. monocytogenes, E. coli O157:H7, or Salmonella spp. were detected or recovered from any of the 101 samples tested. Our results indicate that the majority of raw milk produced for small-scale artisan cheesemaking was of high microbiological quality with no detectable target pathogens despite the repeat sampling of farms. These data will help to inform risk assessments that evaluate the microbiological safety of artisan and farmstead cheeses, particularly those manufactured from raw milk.     

Thermal inactivation of lactoperoxidase in goat,sheep and bovine milk – A comparative kinetic and thermodynamic study

Using isothermal heating, inactivation of lactoperoxidase (LPO) in goat, sheep and cow milk was studied in the temperature range of 70–77 °C. Kinetic and thermodynamics studies were carried out at different time–temperature combination in order to evaluate the suitability of LPO as marker for the heat-treatment of milk and dairy products from different species. The thermal inactivation of LPO followed the first-order kinetics. D- and k-values decreased and increased, respectively with increasing temperature, indicating a more rapid LPO inactivation at higher temperatures. The influence of temperature on the inactivation rate constant was quantified using the Arrhenius and thermal death time models. The corresponding z-values were 3.38 ± 0.013, 4.11 ± 0.24 and 3.58 ± 0.004 °C in goat, sheep and cow milk, respectively. Activation energy values varied between milk species with 678.96 ± 21.43 kJ mol⁻¹ in goat milk, 560.87 ± 28.18 kJ mol⁻¹ in sheep milk and 641.56 ± 13.12 kJ mol⁻¹ in cow milk, respectively.     

Simultaneous determination of pyruvate and acetate levels in xanthan biopolymer by infrared spectroscopy: effect of spectral pre-processing for solid-state analysis

A rapid, direct, and reagent-free procedure based on solid-state Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) coupled with partial least squares (PLS) data analysis has been developed for simultaneous determination of pyruvate and acetate levels in a microbial xanthan biopolymer. The influences of various spectral pre-processing procedures were studied in order to eliminate effects caused by sample preparation. It was determined that the combination of first derivative and orthogonal signal correction pre-processing contributes to a significant increase in the predictive performance of PLS-1 regression models. By employing the wavenumber region 1320–1350 cm⁻¹ for pyruvate determination and 1500–1600 cm⁻¹ for acetate determination, the root mean square error of cross-validation (RMSECV) for pyruvate and acetate contents were obtained 0.13% and 0.29% w/w, respectively. Results of the proposed procedure for different real samples and those obtained by their reference methods were compared.     

Assessment and validation of methods for the determination of γ-glutamyltransferase activity in sheep milk

The determination of enzymatic activity in sheep milk is still today a practically unexplored field of research. This study proposes and fully validates two analytical procedures (i.e. by means of UV–vis spectrophotometry and RP-HPLC methods) for the determination of γ-glutamyltransferase activity in sheep milk. Both methods are characterised by low detection and quantification limits, excellent linearity over a wide enzymatic activity interval, very good repeatability and reproducibility, and are bias-free. The RP-HPLC method provides better sensitivity and automation capability levels than that of UV–vis, and its use is hence suggested for screening purposes. These methods have been preliminarily tested with a number of real samples of whole sheep milk, obtaining an average γ-glutamyltransferase activity value of 2.93 ± 0.50 U ml⁻¹ and a range from 2.72 ± 0.10 U ml⁻¹ to 3.46 ± 0.11 U ml⁻¹.     

Short communication: Effect of storage and preservation on total bacterial counts determined by automated flow cytometry in bulk tank goat milk

This study was designed to evaluate the effects of different storage conditions on total bacterial count (TBC) determinations made in goat bulk tank milk using an automated flow cytometry method. The storage conditions tested were storage temperature (refrigeration at 4 and 10°C or freezing at −20°C), the use of a preservative (no preservative, NP; azidiol, AZ; or bronopol, BR), and the age of the milk samples for each analytical condition (storage times at 4°C: from 0 h to 5 d for NP; and from 0 h to 22 d for AZ and BR; storage times at 10°C: from 24 h to 2 d for NP and from 24 h to 22 for AZ and BR; storage times at −20°C: from 24 h to 22 d for NP, AZ, and BR). Significant effects on individual bacterial count (IBC) variation were shown by the bulk tank milk sample, preservative, storage temperature, interaction preservative × storage temperature, and milk age within the interaction preservative × storage temperature. In preserved samples, the highest IBC were obtained for AZ and the lowest counts were obtained in samples preserved with BR. Because of the variation in IBC recorded in BR-preserved samples, we recommend that BR should not be used for TBC determinations using the automated flow cytometry method. The NP samples stored at 4 and 10°C showed significantly higher IBC at 24 h postcollection, also invalidating these analytical conditions for TBC analyses. The practical implications of our findings are that goat milk samples preserved with AZ and stored at 10 or 4°C are appropriate for TBC by the BactoScan flow cytometry method for up to 24 h and 11 d postcollection, respectively.     

Detection of non-milk fat in milk fat by gas chromatography and linear discriminant analysis

Gas chromatography was utilized to determine triacylglycerol profiles in milk and non-milk fat. The values of triacylglycerol were subjected to linear discriminant analysis to detect and quantify non-milk fat in milk fat. Two groups of milk fat were analyzed: A) raw milk fat from the central region of Mexico (n = 216) and B) ultrapasteurized milk fat from 3 industries (n = 36), as well as pork lard (n = 2), bovine tallow (n = 2), fish oil (n = 2), peanut (n = 2), corn (n = 2), olive (n = 2), and soy (n = 2). The samples of raw milk fat were adulterated with non-milk fats in proportions of 0, 5, 10, 15, and 20% to form 5 groups. The first function obtained from the linear discriminant analysis allowed the correct classification of 94.4% of the samples with levels <10% of adulteration. The triacylglycerol values of the ultrapasteurized milk fats were evaluated with the discriminant function, demonstrating that one industry added non-milk fat to its product in 80% of the samples analyzed.     

Utilization of fourier transform infrared spectroscopy for measurement of organic phosphorus and bound calcium in cheddar cheese

The methods available for measuring organic P and bound Ca in cheese are either cumbersome or involve dilution of the cheese. Dilution of the cheese can lead to erroneous results, particularly in the case of bound Ca. Hence, the objective of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy for direct measurement of organic P and bound Ca in Cheddar cheese. Two hundred sixteen samples of cheese were analyzed for protein-bound organic P, bound Ca using a water-extraction based method, and buffering curves. Additionally, the infrared spectra of the cheeses were collected between 4,000 and 650 cm⁻¹, at a resolution of 4 cm⁻¹, and 256 scans per sample. The spectral shifts in the infrared region from 1,050 to 900 cm⁻¹, in addition to the measured concentrations of organic P, bound Ca, and buffering peak area at pH 5.1, were used to develop calibration models using partial least squares (PLS) regression analysis. The spectral region of 956 to 946 cm⁻¹ correlated with the measured concentrations of organic P and the overall PLS model had a correlation (R²) of 0.76 between the predicted and measured concentrations. The spectral region at ∼980 cm⁻¹ was correlated with the measured concentrations of bound Ca, and the overall PLS model had a correlation (R²) of 0.70 between the predicted and measured concentrations. A similar spectral region at ∼980 cm⁻¹ was also correlated with the measured buffering peak areas and the overall PLS model had a correlation (R²) of 0.64 between the predicted and measured peak areas. A linear regression analysis between the bound Ca and buffering peak area demonstrated that bound Ca was correlated (R² = 0.73) with buffering peak area. This study demonstrates that FTIR can be used to measure organic P in cheeses. It also has the potential to be used for measuring bound Ca in undiluted cheeses, and for prediction of the buffering capacity of cheese.     

Evaluation of the influence of arsenical livestock drinking waters on total arsenic levels in cow’s raw milk from Argentinean dairy farms

The concentrations of total arsenic in cow’s raw milk and in the livestock drinking water were determined and compared, in order to establish the influence of natural arsenic levels in groundwaters on the final presence of arsenic in milk production of the most important dairy region in Argentina. A dry ashing procedure was used for the mineralisation of the milk samples. The total arsenic concentrations were determined by flow injection hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry (FI-HGAAS). The mineralised milk samples and well water samples were pre-reduced with concentrated HCl and KI–C₆H₈O₆ solutions. A volume of 500 μl of each solution of pre-treated sample was transported by a HCl 1.2 mol l⁻¹ carrier solution at a flow rate of 11 ml min⁻¹ and merged with a reducing NaBH₄ 0.2% (m/v) solution which flowed at 5.5 ml min⁻¹. The hydride generated in a reaction coil was transported to the detector with a N₂ flow of 100 ml min⁻¹. The recovery values of added concentrations at levels of 2.5 μg l⁻¹ and 5.0 μg l⁻¹ of arsenic in milk were 103 ± 8% and 102 ± 6% for n = 3, respectively. The accuracy of the method for the determination of total arsenic in water was checked by analysis of a certified sample NIST 1643d. Detection limits were 0.7 μg l⁻¹ and 0.6 μg l⁻¹ for milk and well water, respectively. The results showed a low biological transference level of arsenic to the cow milk from the drinking water ingestion.     

Degree of antioxidant protection: a parameter to trace the origin and quality of goat's milk and cheese

Traceability is an essential tool in reassuring consumers and traders that food is as safe, authentic, and of good quality as expected. Today, food traceability procedures often consist of attached documents and declarations, but scientific parameters that could objectively identify a product would be preferable. Scientific efforts in this area are mostly focused on selection and validation of experimental indicators that would be useful for tracing a food product in any step of its commercial life, describing its raw materials, processing procedures, and storage conditions. In this research, milk and cheese samples from zero grazing and grazing goats were studied to identify a tracing parameter correlated to the feeding system. In particular, α-tocopherol and cholesterol were analyzed by HPLC on a normal phase column and were combined to calculate the degree of antioxidant protection (DAP). This parameter, expressed as the molar ratio between antioxidant compounds and an oxidation target, is useful for tracing and distinguishing products from grazing and zero-grazing animals. Degree of antioxidant protection values greater than 7.0 × 10⁻³ were found in samples from grazing goats and values lower than 7.0 × 10⁻³ were found in samples from zero-grazing goats, for both milk and cheese, meaning that cholesterol was highly protected against oxidative reactions when herbage was the only feed or was dominant in the goat diet. The reliability of DAP to measure the antioxidant protection of cholesterol appeared more effective when the feeding system was based on grazing than when cut herbage was utilized indoors by animals. The DAP index was able to distinguish dairy products when the grazed herbage in the goats’ diet exceeded 15%.     

Pharmacokinetics and mammary elimination of imidocarb in sheep and goats

The pharmacokinetics and mammary excretion of imidocarb dipropionate, a therapeutic/prophylactic agent against a variety of tick-borne hemoparasitic diseases in domestic animals, have been investigated in sheep and goats. A commercial formulation of imidocarb di-propionate was injected i.m. at a single dose of 3 mg/kg of body weight in 7 mature lactating ewes and 8 lactating does in good health. Blood samples were collected for 48 h after administration and milk samples were collected every 12 h for 10 d. A weak cation-exchange solid-phase procedure was used to remove imidocarb from plasma. A hexane/isoamyl alcohol liquid-liquid procedure was adopted to extract the drug from the milk of sheep. The same method was used for goat milk after exposing the matrices to enzymatic digestion. The extracted samples were analyzed by HPLC. The i.m. disposition kinetics of imidocarb in the 2 species showed significant differences in the rate of elimination (0.0075 ± 0.002 and 0.025 ± 0.004 L/h in sheep and goats, respectively), being faster in ewes than in does. Nevertheless, a smaller area under the concentration-time curve (12.21 ± 0.76 and 9.49 ± 0.54 μg/mL per h in sheep and goats, respectively), a larger volume of distribution (4.18 ± 0.44 and 7.68 ± 0.57 L/kg in sheep and goats, respectively), and a longer mean residence time (9.07 ± 0.77 and 14.75 ± 2.20 h in sheep and goats, respectively) were found in goats, suggesting a more rapid and effective drug storage in tissues during the first 48 h after the injection. The concentrations of imidocarb in milk of both species were higher than in plasma. However, a fast passage through the blood-milk barrier and a high storage of imidocarb were observed in the milk of ewes, whereas the drug concentrations were not as high nor was the extent of drug penetration from blood to milk as great in the milk of goats (AUC_{milk 0-48}/AUC_{plasma 0-48} = 2.5 ± 0.45 and 1.26 ± 0.27 in sheep and goat, respectively). Despite the differences in pharmacokinetic behavior, and considering the sensitivity of pathogens to imidocarb, the same dosage regimen can be used for clinical efficacy against Babesia spp. infection in both species. In contrast, the differences in depletion of imidocarb residue in milk and the large variability in mammary drug elimination found in goats suggests that great care should be taken in defining the withdrawal time in small ruminant dairy species.     

Short communication: Suitability of fluorescence spectroscopy for characterization of commercial milk of different composition and origin

Thirteen milk brands comprising 76 pasteurized and UHT milk samples of various compositions (whole, reduced fat, skimmed, low lactose, and high protein) were obtained from local supermarkets, and milk samples manufactured in various countries were discriminated using front-face fluorescence spectroscopy (FFFS) coupled with chemometric tools. The emission spectra of Maillard reaction products and riboflavin (MRP/RF; 400 to 600 nm) and tryptophan (300 to 400 nm) were recorded using FFFS, and the excitation wavelengths were set at 360 nm for MRP/RF and 290 nm for tryptophan. Principal component analysis (PCA) was applied to analyze the normalized spectra. The PCA of spectral information from MRP/RF discriminated the milk samples originating in different countries, and PCA of spectral information from tryptophan discriminated the samples according to composition. The fluorescence spectral data were compared with liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry results for the glycation extent of the milk samples, and a positive association (R² = 0.84) was found between the degree of glycation of α-lactalbumin and the MRP/RF spectral data. This study demonstrates the ability and sensitivity of FFFS to rapidly discriminate and classify commercial milk with various compositions and processing conditions.     

Influence of storage and preservation on fossomatic cell count and composition of goat milk

This study was designed to evaluate the effects of different test conditions on the somatic cell count (SCC) and composition of goat milk. To this end, 3600 tests were performed on 1800 aliquots taken from 40 goat milk samples using a combined instrument set-up based on flow cytometry for SCC and Fourier transform infrared analysis for fat, total protein, lactose, total solids, and freezing point determinations. The conditions tested were storage temperature (refrigeration and freezing), use of a preservative [no preservative (NP), azidiol (AZ), and bronopol (BR)], and age of the milk samples at each storage temperature (24 h to 42 d at refrigeration temperature and 21 to 105 d at freezing temperature). Significant effects on logSCC variation were shown by the storage temperature, the preservation treatment, the interaction of storage temperature × preservation treatment, and milk age within the interaction of storage temperature × preservative. Highest counts were recorded in the BR-preserved milk samples (logSCC = 5.877), and lowest counts were recorded in milk samples preserved using AZ (logSCC = 5.803). The use of frozen/thawed samples led to a significantly decreased logSCC for the treatments AZ and NP; the logSCC was not modified when BR-preserved frozen/thawed samples were analyzed. During storage, variations in the SCC observed for BR-preserved samples stored at refrigeration temperature for up to 25 d and at freezing temperature for all times tested were always <10%. The preservation treatment was the main factor affecting the milk composition variables examined. Highest values of most variables were obtained in the BR-preserved samples, and the lowest values were obtained in the AZ-preserved samples. The freezing point was lower in the preserved samples than in the NP samples. The levels of milk constituents recorded in the BR-preserved samples were independent of both the storage temperature and age of milk sample. Our findings indicate that the freezing point of goat milk must be interpreted according to the preservative used.