Analytical methods for assessing the degree of heat treatment of milk

In order to reduce the number of microorganisms in drinking milk, inactivate some enzymes that can cause defects in the taste and texture of the product, as well as extend the shelf life of milk, its heat treatment is used.The article considers regulated and reference methods for assessing the heat treatment of milk.They are conventionally divided into two groups: the first group includes determining the degree of denaturation and inactivation of heat-labile components, and the second group is based on the detection of substances formed during heat treatment.The first group includes the determination of alkaline phosphatase enzymes, lactoperoxidase and whey proteins: -lactalbumin and -lactoglobulin.The second group includes the determination of substances formed as a result of the Maillard reaction: furosine, carboxymethyl-lysine, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, and lactulose.The quantitative characteristics of the corresponding heat treatment markers are characterized.As analytical methods for assessing heat treatment, such targeted analysis methods as high-performance liquid and ion chromatography, enzymelinked immunosorbent assay, capillary electrophoresis were considered.These methods require lengthy sample preparation procedures, are laborious and expensive.As an alternative to these methods, studies are described in which, as analysis methods, near-IR spectroscopy and fluorescence spectroscopy are used.Promising may be studies on the determination of ionic calcium and total calcium in milk samples and discrimination of sample content on this basis, since the calcium content depends quite strongly on heat treatment and milk processing processes.It was concluded that a reliable assessment of the degree of heat treatment, possible violations in the technological process and detection of a counterfeit product should be based on the use of several markers and should include a multivariate approach to data processing.The criteria for choosing a particular method for determining the degree of heat treatment of milk should be the suitability of the method for achieving the set goal, its versatility, and the sensitivity of the analysis.