Devising an express method for estimating the quality of colostrum and its components based on electrical conductivity

Abstract

This paper reports the development of an express method for assessing the quality of biologically active substances derived from colostrum. We tested the hypothesis that there may be a dependence between the amount of protein that is part of the colostrum and its characteristic (a difference in molecular masses) and electrical conductivity.
 It has been shown that the colostrum contains several hundred proteins: it depends on the individual characteristics of cattle. The removal of lipids was accompanied by an increase in electrical conductivity from 5 % to 18 % compared to the whole colostrum while the subsequent removal of high-molecular proteins increased the electrical conductivity by 50‒100 % compared to skimmed colostrum: this depends on the individual characteristics of cattle. Such an individual feature of the colostrum composition reflects the uniqueness of the individual animal's metabolism. A mathematical model has been built for the dependence of the content of charged molecules in the solution of proteins on the molecular mass of proteins, which explains the relationship between electrical conductivity and the molecular mass of proteins.
 It was shown that there is a direct correlation between the colostrum electroconductivity and the temperature in a measuring cell in the range of temperatures from 14 °C to 19 °C. The electrical conductivity of colostrum components increased by no more than 20 % during storage (at a temperature of 3‒4 °C) up to 18 days, which is associated with protein degradation The electrical conduction method could be used to assess the colostrum composition during storage.
 Technology for obtaining different colostrum components (skimmed fraction and a fraction of low-molecular components) has been devised, as well as a method for assessing the quality of products based on the characteristics of electrical conductivity.
 Electrical conductivity is a promising method for assessing the quality of products that are derived from colostrum, at different shelf life at different stages of production: raw materials, fat removal, obtaining a fraction with a predefined composition of proteins

Low-molecular components of colostrum as a regulator of the organism redox-system and biological antidote

“…The electric conductivity of components of colostrum, taken from different producers. It is known, that lipids manifest dielectric properties [18], and their elimination is accompanied by an electric conductivity increase as it was demonstrated above [15]. Lipids elimination from colostrum demonstrated that 92 % of proteins, 7.69 % of carbohydrates and 0.31 % of vitamins and other substances, including ions, took place in skim milk counting for solid residue (Fig.…”

“…Such biophysical method as electric conductivity measuring may be used as integral parameters of multicomponent dynamic biological mixtures. This approach allows to evaluate the total number of charged ions and other molecules in colostrum [15]. The most biological activity in metabolism regulation mechanisms is inherent to peptides and low-molecular proteins.…”

Electrical Conductivity of Bone Marrow Cell Cultures and Their Connection with Proliferative Activity: Age Aspect

“…However, interest in this promising method was somewhat lost due to the difficulty of interpreting the obtained results. Our investigations have shown that the electrical conductivity of biological systems is affected not only by the ionic composition, but also by the presence of lipids and membrane structures, and the ratio between high and low molecular weight proteins in biological systems [12]. The conductivity index can reflect the peculiarities of the organization of biological systems [13].…”

“…It was previously shown that, along with the ionic composition, the parameters of electrical conductivity are significantly influenced by lipid components and the proteins composition [12]. Thus, the removal of lipid components from the medium was accompanied by an increase in electrical conductivity.…”

“…Earlier, the possibility of assessing the rate of metabolic processes in a cell by measuring changes of the electrical conductivity of the culture medium after the removal of cells was investigated. It was shown that the electrical conductivity of the medium depends on the physiological and chemical characteristics of cells [12].…”