Determination of Lactose in Milk: Comparison of Methods

A new enzymatic method based on the spectrophotometric measurement of reduced NAD+ (β-nicotinamide-adenine dinucleotide) at 340 nm has been evaluated by comparing it with the AOAC copper reduction method. Ten samples of milk containing various levels of lactose were analyzed in duplicate by the enzymatic method, and 5 samples were analyzed by the copper reduction method. Statistical analysis using a factorial design revealed no statistical significance between results obtained by the 2 methods; recoveries were comparable, 97% or greater for all except one sample. There was no relationship between amount of lactose added and percent recovered.

Enzymatic-Ultraviolet Method for Measuring Lactose in Milk: Collaborative Study

Collaborators in 8 dairy and food industry laboratories performed one lactose determination on each of 8 unknown samples of milk, lowfat milk, or skim milk, as 3 pairs of blind duplicates. Two known samples were provided to gain experience prior to analysis of the unknown samples. All of the above samples were also analyzed for lactose content by the official AOAC gravimetric method (16.507) by a commercial laboratory. From the overall mean of results on all samples, determinations by the enzymatic method averaged 0.49% lower than by the AOAC method. This difference was significant by the t-test (P = 0.05), which indicated a lack of agreement between the compared methods in determining lactose content. Standard deviations were similar for the 3 sets of blind duplicates which ranged between 3.67 and 4.55% lactose content. F-values revealed that variations between means obtained by laboratories differed significantly as compared with variations within laboratory means. The method has been adopted official first action.

Rapid Determination of Alkaline Phosphatase Activity in Cheese

A visual screening method specifying phenolphthalein monophosphate as the substrate was applied to cheese by analyzing the extract obtained with 7.5% butanol. In the extraction step, all of the alcohol was added at one time, and the mixture was filtered after mixing. Analysis of 10 samples of various types of cheese resulted in data identical to that obtained by the Scharer rapid method. Quantitative data obtained by dialysis of the butanol filtrate and spectrophotometric measurement of the phenolphthalein compared favorably (r = 0.96) with data obtained by the Scharer spectrophotometric method on 13 samples of cheese.

Collaborative Study of a New Alkaline Phosphatase Assay System for Milk

A new method in which phenolphthalein monophosphate is used as substrate has been developed for determining residual alkaline phosphatase: Upon hydrolysis, phenolphthalein is released and yields a red solution that is compared visually with a standard prepared from the same milk. Seven collaborators made 168 observations that were used in a statistical study of the results. Chi-square calculations and tests of independence indicated that the described method yields results on skim milk, whole milk, and light cream that are as precise and either as accurate or more accurate than those obtained with the Scharer I method. Based on these results, it is recommended that the method be adopted as official, first action.

Determination of Fat in Raw and Processed Milks by the Gerber Method: Collaborative Study

The Gerber method is used worldwide as a simple and rapid method for determining fat in raw and processed milks. However, the volume of the test portion used in the method has not been internationally agreed upon. A collaborative study was conducted to evaluate performance of the Gerber method using either a weighed test portion (11.13 g) or by a 10.77 mL test portion delivered by pipet. For each method, laboratories received 10 test samples: 5 raw and 5 pasteurized homogenized milks, 2 of which were blind duplicate pairs. Eleven and 10 laboratories participated in the evaluation of aliquot addition by weight and pipet, respectively. Mojonnier ether extraction (Method 989.05) was used as the reference method. Interlaboratory study statistics were similar between methods of test portion addition and between raw and processed materials; therefore, summary interlaboratory study statistics were pooled. The fat content of milk samples ranged from 0.96 to 5.48%. Absolute reproducibility and repeatability were not affected by fat level, and pooled statistical performance (invalid and outlier data removed) was (g fat/100 g milk) sr = 0.026, sR = 0.047, r = 0.074, and R = 0.132. Relative standard deviations increased with decreasing fat content, and were summarized by fat level: 1–2% fat milk, mean = 1.437, RSDr = 1.809%, RSDR = 3.271%; 2–6% fat milk, mean = 4.156, RSDr = 0.626%, RSDR = 1.131%. Compared with ether extraction, test results by the Gerber method were slightly lower (0.02% fat) using a weighed test portion and significantly lower (0.06% fat) using a 10.77 mL volume addition by pipet. A trend toward underestimating fat content at lower fat concentrations (1–2% fat) was observed with the weighed test portion but not when a pipet was used. The Associate Referee recommends that the Gerber method using a weighed test portion be adopted as First Action with applicability limited to whole milk.

Determination of fat in raw and processed milks by the Gerber method: collaborative study

The Gerber method is used worldwide as a simple and rapid method for determining fat in raw and processed milks. However, the volume of the test portion used in the method has not been internationally agreed upon. A collaborative study was conducted to evaluate performance of the Gerber method using either a weighed test portion (11.13 g) or by a 10.77 mL test portion delivered by pipet. For each method, laboratories received 10 test samples: 5 raw and 5 pasteurized homogenized milks, 2 of which were blind duplicate pairs. Eleven and 10 laboratories participated in the evaluation of aliquot addition by weight and pipet, respectively. Mojonnier ether extraction (Method 989.05) was used as the reference method. Interlaboratory study statistics were similar between methods of test portion addition and between raw and processed materials; therefore, summary interlaboratory study statistics were pooled. The fat content of milk samples ranged from 0.96 to 5.48%. Absolute reproducibility and repeatability were not affected by fat level, and pooled statistical performance (invalid and outlier data removed) was (g fat/100 g milk) s(r) = 0.026, s(R) = 0.047, r = 0.074, and R = 0.132. Relative standard deviations increased with decreasing fat content, and were summarized by fat level: 1-2% fat milk, mean = 1.437, RSD(r) = 1.809%, RSD(R) = 3.271%; 2-6% fat milk, mean = 4.156, RSD(r) = 0.626%, RSD(R) = 1.131%. Compared with ether extraction, test results by the Gerber method were slightly lower (0.02% fat) using a weighed test portion and significantly lower (0.06% fat) using a 10.77 mL volume addition by pipet. A trend toward underestimating fat content at lower fat concentrations (1-2% fat) was observed with the weighed test portion but not when a pipet was used. The Associate Referee recommends that the Gerber method using a weighed test portion be adopted as First Action with applicability limited to whole milk.

Determination of Fat in Raw Milk: Comparison of Mojonnier (Ether Extraction) and Gerber Method

Results are compared for the approved Gerber method that specifies a TC 11.07 mL pipet and 2 modifications that specify a TC 10.77 mL pipet or a weighed 11.125 g sample of milk rather than a pipetted sample. All results were also compared with results obtained with the Mojonnier method for determining the fat content of raw milk. The standard deviation is somewhat lower for the Mojonnier method than for any of the Gerber methods; among the Gerber methods, the standard deviations were lower for the TC 10.77 mL and 11.125 g modifications. It is recommended that one of these modifications replace the current specified TC 11.07 mL pipet method.

Determination of fat in raw milk: comparison of mojonnier (ether extraction) and Gerber method

Results are compared for the approved Gerber method that specifies a TC 11.07 mL pipet and 2 modifications that specify a TC 10.77 mL pipet or a weighed 11.125 g sample of milk rather than a pipetted sample. All results were also compared with results obtained with the Mojonnier method for determining the fat content of raw milk. The standard deviation is somewhat lower for the Mojonnier method than for any of the Gerber methods; among the Gerber methods, the standard deviations were lower for the TC 10.77 mL and 11.125 g modifications. It is recommended that one of these modifications replace the current specified TC 11.07 mL pipet method.

Determination of lactose by an enzymatic method

The general methodology used for the determination of lactose in milk is considered, namely, polarimetry, gravimetry, infrared, colorimetry, gas-liquid chromatography, and high pressure liquid chromatography. The criteria for selecting an ideal analytical method followed by the relevance of most of these criteria in enzymatic methodology are discussed. The principle of the Boehringer-Mannheim method is presented, i.e., lactose is hydrolyzed to glucose and beta-galactose in the presence of beta-galactosidase and water. beta-Galactose is then oxidized by nicotinamide-adenine dinucleotide to galactonic acid in the presence of beta-galactose dehydrogenase. The amount of reduced nicotinamide-adenine dinucleotide formed is stoichiometric with the amount of lactose and is measured at 340 nm in a spectrophotometer possessing a slit width of less than or equal to 10 nm. The results of a recent Association of Official Analytical Chemists collaborative study of the B-M method are presented. From the overall mean of results on all samples, determinations by the enzymatic method averaged .49% lower than by the Association of Official Analytical Chemists gravimetric method. Standard deviations were similar for three sets of blind duplicates, which ranged between 3.67 and 4.55% lactose. F-Values revealed that variations between means obtained by laboratories differed significantly as compared with variations within laboratory means. The method has received Official First Action recognition by Association of Official Analytical Chemists.

Enzymatic-ultraviolet method for measuring lactose in milk: collaborative study

Collaborators in 8 dairy and food industry laboratories performed one lactose determination on each of 8 unknown samples of milk, lowfat milk, or skim milk, as 3 pairs of blind duplicates. Two known samples were provided to gain experience prior to analysis of the unknown samples. All of the above samples were also analyzed for lactose content by the official AOAC gravimetric method (16.507) by a commercial laboratory. From the overall mean of results on all samples, determinations by the enzymatic method averaged 0.49% lower than by the AOAC method. This difference was significant by the t-test (P = 0.05), which indicated a lack of agreement between the compared methods in determining lactose content. Standard deviations were similar for the 3 sets of blind duplicates which ranged between 3.67 and 4.55% lactose content. F-values revealed that variations between means obtained by laboratories differed significantly as compared with variations within laboratory means. The method has been adopted official first action.

Determination of lactose in milk: comparison of methods

A new enzymatic method based on the spectrophotometric measurement of reduced NAD+ (beta-nicotinamide-adenine dinucleotide) at 340 nm has been evaluated by comparing it with the AOAC copper reduction method. Ten samples of milk containing various levels of lactose were analyzed in duplicate by the enzymatic method, and 5 samples were analyzed by the copper reduction method. Statistical analysis using a factorial design revealed no statistical significance between results obtained by the 2 methods; recoveries were comparable, 97% or greater for all except one sample. There was no relationship between amount of lactose added and percent recovered.

Rapid Screening Method for Alkaline Phosphatase Activity in Cheese: Collaborative Study

The method developed for determining alkaline phosphatase activity in cheese, in which phenolphthalein monophosphate is used as the substrate, was collaboratively studied. A 7.5% butanol extract of cheese is reacted with phenolphthalein monophosphate; phenolphthalein is released and yields a red solution that is compared visually with a standard (s) prepared from the same extract. Seven collaborators analyzed 8 samples of cheese, in duplicate, by the screening method and Scharer I method. Of the 208 observations returned, only 4 were incorrect. The alkaline phosphatase method has been adopted as official first action.

Rapid screening method for alkaline phosphatase activity in cheese: collaborative study

The method developed for developed for determining alkaline phosphatase activity in cheese, in which phenolphthalein monophosphate is used as the substrate, was collaboratively studied. A 7.5% butanol extract of cheese is reacted with phenolphthalein monophosphate; phenolphthalein is released and yields a red solution that is compared visually with a standard (s) prepared from the same extract. Seven collaborators analyzed 8 samples of cheese, in duplicate, by the screening method and Scharer I method. Of the 208 observations returned, only 4 were incorrect. The alkaline phosphatase method has been adopted as official first action.

Rapid Determination of Alkaline Phosphatase Reactivation

A study was conducted to determine the feasibility of using the qualitative screening method specifying phenolphthalein monophosphate for differentiating reactivated and residual alkaline phosphatase activity. The relative increase in activity of the enzyme in the presence of MgCl2 serves to distinguish reactivated and residual alkaline phosphatase activity. Ten samples each of pasteurized (172°F for 24 sec), sterilized (about 300°F for a minimum of 2 sec) half-and-half and heavy cream were analyzed. Most samples yielded negative results initially but demonstrated activity after incubation 1 hr at 34°C. The average values, in terms of + marks, for the half-and-half and heavy cream in samples without MgCl2 were <1 and 2.4, respectively ; for samples treated with MgCl2, the values were 2.18 and 4.6, respectively, indicating reactivated phosphatase activity. In samples containing various levels of raw milk, the activity observed in the diluted, Mg2+-containing samples was less than in the undiluted samples containing no Mg, indicating residual phosphatase activity.

Rapid determination of alkaline phosphatase activity in cheese

A visual screening method specifying phenolphthalein monophosphate as the substrate was applied to cheese by analyzing the extract obtained with 7.5% butanol. In the extraction step, all of the alcohol was added at one time, and the mixture was filtered after mixing. Analysis of 10 samples of various types of cheese resulted in data identical to that obtained by the Scharer rapid method. Quantitative data obtained by dialysis of the butanol filtrate and spectrophotometric measurement of the phenolphthalein compared favorably (r = 0.96) with data obtained by the Scharer spectrophotometric method on 13 samples of cheese.

Rapid determination of alkaline phosphatase reactivation

A study was conducted to determine the feasibility of using the qualitative screening method specifying phenolphthalein monophosphate for differentiating reactivated and residual alkaline phosphatase activity. The relative increase in activity of the enzyme in the presence of MgCl2 serves to distinguish reactivated and residual alkaline phosphatase activity. Ten samples each of pasteurized (172 degrees F for 24 sec), sterilized (about 300 degrees F for a minimum of 2 sec) half-and-half and heavy cream were analyzed. Most samples yielded negative results initially but demonstrated activity after incubation 1 hr at 34 degrees C. The average values in terms of + marks, for the half and half and heavy cream in samples without MgCl2 were less than 1 and 2.4, respectively; for samples treated with MgCl2, the values were 2.18 and 4.6, respectively, indicating reactivated phosphatase activity. In samples containing various levels of raw milk, the activity observed in the diluted, Mg2+-containing samples was less than in the undiluted samples containing no Mg, indicating residual phosphatase activity.

Influence of viable yogurt microflora on digestion of lactose by the rat

Laboratory rats were fed experimental diets including yogurt, pasteurized yogurt, and simulated yogurt with sucrose or lactose for 7 days followed by a single experimental meal of yogurt, pasteurized yogurt, or simulated yogurt. Assays of blood galactose demonstrated that animals fed natural yogurt containing the viable culture microflora were able to absorb galactose more efficiently. Intestinal lactase activity of yogurt-fed animals was greater than in animals fed other experimental diets including pasteurized yogurt. Gastrointestinal survival of culture organisms was demonstrated in vivo up to 3 h after feeding, and thus, the viable cells resulted in more efficient hydrolysis which favored lactose digestion in natural yogurt.

Qualitative and quantitative changes in carbohydrates during the manufacture of yogurt

The average lactose content of yogurt mix was 8.50% and decreased during fermentation to 5.75%. The initial galactose content of the mix was a trace but increased to 1.20% during fermentation. Glucose content remained a trace throughout fermentation. Several brands of commercial yogurt were purchased from local supermarkets and analyzed for carbohydrate content. Lactose ranged from 3.31 to 4.74%, galactose varied from 1.48 to 2.50%, and glucose was only a trace in all samples. Several samples of buttermilk also exhibited the near absence of glucose.

Influence of Brand of Dialysis Tubing on a Quantitative Technique for Determining Alkaline Phosphatase Activity of Milk

A study was conducted to determine the influence of brand of dialysis tubing on the official first action method for alkaline phosphatase activity of milk, 16.B01—16.B05. Two brands of tubing were compared: seamless regenerated cellulose tubing and membrane tubing. Analyses were performed in quintuplet on 8, 5, and 5 samples of milk containing about 0.10, 0.25, and 0.50% raw milk, respectively. Two trials were also conducted to compare the rates of dialysis, using about 0.25% raw milk. An analysis of variance of the data showed that the brand of tubing did have a significant ( P< 0.05) influence on resulting absorbance values, particularly at the higher levels of phosphatase activity. Rates of dialysis were found to agree within ± 0.07 μg phenolphthalein/hr during the 3 hr incubation specified. The modified method has been adopted as official final action.

UTILIZATION OF PHENOLPHTHALEIN MONOPHOSPHATE TO TO DETERMINE THE PHOSPHATASE ACTIVITY OF MILK1

The properties of alkaline phosphatase as it exists in milk are considered. The more common methods of measuring alkaline phosphatase activity in milk are briefly reviewed, especially those employing substrates possessing “built-in” indicators which produce a chromogen directly upon hydrolysis.

The visual procedure employing phenolphthalein monophosphate as the substrate is given. The sensitivity of this method is shown to be far greater than that of the Scharer I (Rapid) method. Results of an AOAC Collaborative study demonstrated that the method yields results that are as precise and either as accurate as or more accurate than those obtained by the Scharer I (Rapid) method. The quantitative spectrophotometric procedure employing the above substrate is presented. Comparison of this method with the Scharer modified spectrophotometric method on milk revealed correlation coefficients (Scharer method: 0.998 and modified new method 0.991) showing very little difference in the positive correlations of absorbance values and % raw milk. For chocolate milk, the values were 0.990 and 0.990 for the respective methods. Collaborative study of this method has demonstrated that the random error of the modified new method is almost twice that of the Scharer technique while the systematic error is only about one-fourth of the latter method.

Collaborative Study of the Spectrophotometric Determination of Phosphatase Activity in Milk Utilizing a New Alkaline Phosphatase Assay System

A quantitative procedure (modified new method) has been studied that employs phenolphthalein monophosphate as the substrate and dialysis of released phenolphthalein followed by subseqvient measurement of the dialysate in a spectrophotometer at 550 nm. Nine collaborators evaluated 6 unknown samples of milk containing various levels of rawmilk, in triplicate, by the modified new method and the Scharer modified spectrophotometric method. Analysis of variance revealed that the random error of the modified new method was almost twice that of the Scharer technique, while the systematic error of the modified new method was only about ¼ that of the latter method. Two-sample charts indicated that the systematic error of the modified new method was less than that of the Scharer method; this was verified by a statistical comparison which showed that the total analytical error was much lower for the modified new method. A linear relationship was found between the 2 methods by 5 of the collaborators; the correlation coefficients ranged from 0.993 to 0.999. Based on these results, the method has been adopted as official first action for the analysis of milk.

Refinement of a Quantitative Technique for Estimating Alkaline Phosphatase Activity in Milk

A procedure for determining alkaline phosphatase activity in milk and chocolate milk, based upon the dialysis of phenolphthalein monophosphate and subsequent measurement of absorbance of the dialysate at 550 nm, has been refined. The modified procedure specifies 3 ml milk, 3 drops (0.04 ml/drop) of substrate, and a 3 hr incubation period. These changes have resulted in a decrease in the cost of reagents and higher, more suitable absorbance values. The Scharer modified Spectrophotometric method was used as a reference. The modified method showed an apparent linear relationship which was verified by calculating correlation coefficients, 0.996 for milk and 0.992 for chocolate milk; both of these values are significant at the 1% level.

Spectrophotometric Determination of Phosphatase Activity in Milk Utilizing a New Alkaline Phosphatase Assay System

The new method is based on the use of phenolphthalein monophosphate as a substrate, for the determination of residual alkaline phosphatase. Upon hydrolysis, phenolphthalein is released to yield a red solution. A visual test, in which the color developed in a milk sample is compared with the color of a standard prepared with the same milk, was collaboratively studied and subsequently adopted as official first action for skim milk, milk, and light cream. In the present study the release of phenolphthalein was quantitated through the utilization of dialysis, followed by subsequent measurement of absorbance of the dialysate in a spectrophotometer at 550 nm or by visual comparison of the dialysate with prepared color standards.