Furosine and other heat treatment indicators for detecting fraud in milk and milk products

Besides having wide application as criteria for heat-classification of several milk products, heat-treatment indicators can help discover frauds. When the level of 8.6 mg furosine/100 g protein is exceeded in peroxidase-positive pasteurized milk, without doubt, either reconstituted milk powder (RMP) or high-temperature treated milk has been added. The ratio between the levels of furosine and lactulose allows the presence of RMP to be detected in UHT milk or in-bottle sterilized milk. Different levels of furosine in skim milk and in the fat globule membrane from heat-treated whole milk demonstrate that the milk was recomposed from skim milk and cream heated under different conditions. The unnatural amino acid lysinoalanine is a suitable indicator of the use of caseinates in cheesemaking. The advanced Maillard compound galactosyl-β- pyranone allows directly and indirectly heated UHT milk to be distinguished.