Buffalo mozzarella chemical composition and authenticity assessment by electrophoretic profiling

Abstract

Buffalo milk mozzarella is often adulterated by the addition of cow's milk. The aim of this study was to assess the quality of buffalo milk mozzarella by using electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) to detect the addition of cow's milk. Reference cheeses were produced exclusively from combinations of buffalo and cow milk, and labeled reference treatment buffalo or cow (RTB and RTC, respectively). Standardized cheeses were made by combining buffalo milk and 2.5%, 5.0%, 10%, 20%, 30%, 40% or 50% cow's milk. A total of 9 cheese formulations were produced and either frozen immediately (time 0) or after 20 days (time 20). Eighteen commercial samples of buffalo mozzarella were sampled between 0-20 days of production. The chemical composition (moisture, ash, fat in dry matter, protein, total solids and defatted dry extract) and physicochemical characteristics (acidity) of the cheeses were evaluated. Proteins and water-soluble peptides (WSP) extracted from RTB, RTC and from the commercial samples, and were analyzed by SDS-PAGE electrophoresis under denaturing conditions. It was not possible to detect the inclusion of cow's milk by the cheeses' chemical and physicochemical properties. However, the separation and detection of peptide and protein fractions of the cheese was possible by electrophoresis. The results of the electrophoretic analysis suggest that 28% of the commercial samples considered here had evidence of the addition of cow's milk. The methodology described here is important to identify occurrences of fraud in buffalo mozzarella production. Key words: Adulteration. Peptides. Proteins. Cheese. SDS-PAGE. ResumoObjetivou-se com o presente estudo detectar fraudes por adição de leite de vaca em muçarela de búfala. Foram produzidos queijos exclusivamente com leite de búfala (TRB) e vaca (TRV) e com inclusões crescentes de leite bovino ao bubalino (2,5%, 5,0%, 10%, 20%, 30%, 40% e 50%), totalizando 9 formulações que foram congeladas no dia de fabricação (Tempo 0) e com 20 dias após a data de fabricação (Tempo 20). Foram coletadas 18 amostras comerciais de muçarela de búfala com até 20 dias de fabricação sendo congeladas no Tempo 20. Os queijos foram avaliados em relação à composição química (umidade, cinzas, gordura no extrato seco, proteínas, extrato seco total e extrato seco desengordurado) e característica físico-química (acidez titulável). Proteínas dos queijos muçarela produzidos e amostras comerciais e peptídeos solúveis em água (PSA) extraídos de TRB, TRV e amostras comerciais foram analisados por eletroforese sob condições desnaturantes por meio de dodecil sulfato de sódio (SDS-

Production and Characterization of ACE Inhibitory and Anti-Diabetic Peptides from Buffalo and Camel Milk Fermented with Lactobacillus and Yeast: A Comparative Analysis with In Vitro, In Silico, and Molecular Interaction Study

“…However, no bands were found in the permeate of KGL3A or M11, but they were found in the case of the KGL4 permeate. SDS-PAGE was used by Gonçalves et al [50] to compare the electrophoretic profiles of proteins and peptides from mozzarella cheeses manufactured from cow, buffalo, or combinations of those milks. Cheeses branded "reference treatment buffalo" or "reference treatment cow" were made using both buffalo and cow milk (RTB and RTC, respectively).…”

Fraud with the addition of cow's milk alters the lipid fraction of buffalo mozzarella

“…Mozzarella is typically fresh Italian "pasta filata" buffalo milk cheese produced with a Protected Designation Origin (PDO), and it must have the denomination "Mozzarella di Bufala Campana (MBC)" on the seal (European Union 1996;Italy, 2003;Dalmasso et al, 2011;Ilić et al, 2011). It is also a target of fraud, which is still observed despite the rigor of PDO (European Union, 2017; Gonçalves et al, 2017). Factors such as (i) the decrease in buffalo milk production due to the reproductive seasonality of the species (Phogat et al, 2016); (ii) the scarcity of buffalo mozzarella on the market (Locci et al, 2008;Penchev et al, 2016) and (iii) a consequent price increase have motivated fraud through addition of milk from different species to buffalo milk for mozzarella production (Czerwenka et al, 2010;Gunning et al, 2019).…”