A Molecular Technique for Detecting Cow’s Dried and Liquid Packaged Milk products Adulteration

The authenticity of animal-based products is a significant concern when it comes to protecting consumer rights and ensuring accurate product labeling. Molecular techniques, such as DNA barcoding using the cytochrome b gene (Cyt b), are powerful tools for species identification. Our research addresses knowledge gaps in the authentication of cow's dried powder and liquid packaged milk. By analyzing genetic sequences, we have been able to detect genetic variations and construct phylogenetic trees to differentiate cow's milk from other species. DNA was extracted, and a specific region of the cytochrome b (Cyt b) gene, a 359 base pair was amplified. The amplified DNA fragments were then sequenced. The obtained Cyt b sequences were aligned with a reference sequence using Clustal Omega software and further refined using Jalview software. Our analysis did not reveal any significant differences in the ratio of transitions to transversions (Ts:Tv) among the sequences. Consequently, the milk samples from the Kurdistan region formed a distinct, single-origin group (monophyletic clade) in the phylogenetic tree with reference sequence (OQ535548.1) with high identic values (100%). The Cyt b sequences of the samples were submitted to GenBank with accession numbers PP957613 to PP957618. The base composition of the Cyt b gene sequence had a higher AT content (59%) than GC content (41%). These results positively dispelling the concern regarding the authenticity of dried milk powder and liquid packaged milk.