Journal of Food Safety and Food Quality (JFSFQ) is published by IMR Press from Volume 76 Issue 1 (2025). Previous articles were published by another publisher under the hybrid model (CC-BY license or on a subscription basis), and they are hosted by IMR Press on imrpress.com as a courtesy and upon agreement
1 Selcuk University Faculty of Veterinary Medicine Department of Food Hygiene and Technology, 42130, Konya, Turkey
2 Selcuk University Faculty of Veterinary Medicine Department of Genetics, 42130, Konya, Turkey
Yusuf Biçer
Selcuk University Faculty of Veterinary Medicine
Department of Food Hygiene and Technology
42130, Konya
Turkey
yusufbicer@selcuk.edu.tr
Abstract
The most prevalent form of adulteration found in milk and dairy products involves the addition of cow milk to goat milk and dairy products. Detecting such adulteration is crucial in order to prevent health issues, particularly allergies, and to safeguard consumers against financial losses. This research aimed to examine the extent of cow and goat milk mixing at various percentages: 100%, 90%, 75%, 25%, 10%, 5%, 1%, and 0%. To accomplish this, fresh cheese samples were experimentally produced using these milk mixtures, and the levels of cow milk percentage and cow DNA content were determined using TaqMan real-time PCR. The results indicated that the presence of cow milk mixed with goat milk at concentrations as low as 1% and with cow DNA levels of 0.01 ng could be detected in cheese samples. In conclusion, TaqMan-based real-time PCR demonstrates high sensitivity and can be regarded as a reliable method for identifying the presence and proportions of cow milk in cheese samples obtained through the blending of cow and goat milk, thereby ensuring protection against economically driven adulteration and promoting consumer safety.
Keywords
- Authentication
- goat cheese
- cow milk
- TaqMan Real-Time PCR
