Adulteration of Caprine Milk Products by Bovine Milk in Korea

국내 시판 산양유제품 내 젖소 유성분의 혼입에 대한 조사 연구

The aim of this study was to investigate adulteration of caprine milk products by bovine milk using biomolecular techniques with bovine-specific primers for the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and real-time PCR assays were applied to caprine milk products including infant formula, city milk, and fermented milk. The results indicated that six out of the eight caprine infant formula products tested contained bovine milk components. In addition, two of the three tested caprine city milk products and two caprine fermented milk products were shown to be adulterated with bovine milk. Conventional PCR results corroborated with results obtained by real-time PCR. This study demonstrates that DNA-based species identification procedures would be useful and applicable in routine examinations of the dairy industry to ensure the quality and safety of dairy foods.