1. Quality and Genuineness of Milk and Dairy Products
Dr. John A. Hogenboom
Academic Year
Master Degree in Agricultural Sciences (G58)
2nd course year, 2nd semester

2. Introduction
Quality: characteric which expresses how good or excellent something is
For food:
High nutritional value / high contents of nutrients
Low damage due to processing
Absence of undesired, harmful or toxic components
Genuineness: the fact of being authentic, not adulterated / possessing the claimed characteristic, quality, or origin
Food quality and genuineness must be demonstrated → LABORATORY ANALYSES
Food quality and genuineness must be communicated to consumers → LABELLING

3. Program Overview
EU regulations on labelling and quality control of food products
Analytical tools suitable to control chemical, biochemical and technological quality and genuineness of milk and derived food products
Frauds in the dairy field and methods to detect and/or prevent them
Product characterisation on the basis of chemical and biochemical parameters
Class lessons will be integrated with laboratory visits

4. Course Program Legal aspects of food labelling
Regulation (EU) 1169/2011: on the provision of food information to consumers
Regulation (EC) 1924/2006: on nutrition and health claims made on food
Regulation (EC) 510/2006: on the protection of geographical indications and designations of origin for agricultural products and foodstuffs

5. Course Program Basic chemical determinations for dairy products
Proteins and nitrogen fractions (NCN, NPN) (Kjeldahl; Dumas)
Fat (Röse-Gottlieb; Gerber)
Lactose/reducing sugars (HPLC; Fehling)
Minerals (salt, Ca, K…)
…..
Rapid I.R. methods: the Milkoscan

6. Course Program Advanced chemical determinations for dairy products
Fatty acids (saturated/unsaturated) (GC)
Alkaline phosphatase (enzymatic determination)
Heat damage (products of Maillard reaction, HPLC)
Residues
Vitamins
Heavy metals

7. Course Program Most frequent adulterations of dairy products
sale of reconstituted milk powder as liquid milk
“fresh” milk from previously pasteurized milk
addition of extraneous lipids to dairy products in order to reach legal fat content
Detection of reconstituted milk powder in Mozzarella cheese
Detection of cow’s milk in buffalo and in ewe’s or goat’s milk cheese

8. Course Program Product characterisation
Evaluation of cheese typicalness (FAA, IEC)
Verification of ripening duration (pyro-glutamyl-γ3-casein)
Verification of milk heat treatment in raw milk cheeses (ALP)
Verification of rind addition to grated cheese (peptides) …

9. Final examination Study material Examination Students’ notes
Slides of the lessons
Internet sites indicated during lessons
Examination
Examination will be oral
Based on student’s knowledge of the subject’s matter NOT on its knowledge of the English language