Analysis of L-Lactic acid in milk and dairy products
Lactic acid is produced by the fermentation of lactose mainly through microbial activity. Its concentration depends on the total bacterial count and can be a useful indicator of the good state of preservation. In addition, the heat treatment at high temperatures, UHT, reduces the microbial load but does not alter the concentration of lactic acid, which thus becomes an indicator of the "history" of the product. The test can also be run on derivatives in powder (whey, milk, additives) after reconstitution in water.
Method
Endpoint analysis.
Analysis time: 7 minutes.
Analysis sessions with multiple samples are possible up to a maximum of 16 tests for CDR FoodLab® and 3 tests for CDR FoodLab® Junior.
Sample treatment
Milk: Use milk as is.
Fresh cream: Take 4 mL of cream in a centrifuge tube, add 100 µL of diluted HCl (i.e. dilute 200µL of HCl fuming 37% in 1 mL of distilled water), mix and centrifuge for 5 minutes. Take the aqueous solution and filter it, if necessary.
Mozzarella or Ricotta cheese or Yogurt:
Homogenize the sample. Weight exactly 4 gr of mozzarella or ricotta cheese or yogurt in a proper cup and add 40 ml of NaOH 0,25N solution. Homogenize the sample using a mixer and take the amount for testing.
Test principle
L-Lactic acid is oxidized to pyruvate by an enzymatic reaction that produces H2O2. H2O2, in the presence of peroxidase and a phenolic derivate, forms a colored complex whose intensity was read at 545nm and is directly proportional to the concentration of L-lactic acid in the sample.
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Calibration curve
Comparative tests on samples of whole milk between the reference method and the CDR FoodLab® method, performed in a leading company in production of milk, confirmed a very good alignment between the two systems.
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Reagent test kits
Milk and Cream
Ricotta, Mozzarella and Yogurt
Measuring range
| Analyses | Measuring range | Resolution | Repeatability |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lactic acid - milk | 2 - 250 ppm | 0.1 ppm | 1.6 ppm |
| Lactic acid - cream | 1.5 - 150 ppm | 0.1 ppm | 1.3 ppm |
| Lactic acid cottage cheese | 0.02 - 0.43 g/100g Lactic acid | 0.01 g/100g Lactic acid | 0.01 g/100g Lactic acid |
| Lactic acid mozzarella | 0.1 - 1.5 g/100g Lactic acid | 0.1 g/100g Lactic acid | < 0.1 g/100g Lactic acid |
| Lactic acid yogurt | 0.01 - 1.75 g/100g Lactic acid | 0.01 g/100g Lactic acid | 0.01 g/100g Lactic acid |
Analyzers for quality control of milk and dairy products
CDR FoodLab®
- Complete analysis panel, supplied already configured
- Up to 16 determinations simultaneously
- Possibility of carrying out analyses of the same sample
- Integrated printer
- Full connections (LAN - USB - Bluetooth barcode/QR code reader)
CDR FoodLab® Jr
- Partial analysis panel, supplied configured with 3 analyses of your choice, implementable
- Up to 3 determinations simultaneously
- Wireless connection to external printer
- USB connections
