Abstract
In this study, we investigated the impact of the rodenticides (strychnine, bromadiolone, and brodifacoum) on milk pH, rennet coagulation time (RCT), and coagulum strength. Sub-lethal amounts of strychnine and bromadiolone produced an unnaturally large change in milk pH, compared to brodifacoum and brodifacoum on milk coagulation properties. All three studied rodenticides significantly affected RCT and coagulum strength. The presence of sub-lethal amounts of each individual rodenticide increased RCT by an overall mean of 17% (p < 0.001). Rodenticide contamination decreased coagulum strength by an overall mean of 26% (p < 0.05). Our results suggest that such changes could be noticeable at the farm, thus, potentially averting the mixture of contaminated milk with the tanker supply, and preventing downstream distribution to consumers.
Highlights
Dairy products are a significant part of typical U.S diets [1]
We examined three potent rodenticides for their impact on milk coagulation: strychnine, bromadiolone, and brodifacoum
The value ∆pH was defined as the pH values of the control subtracted from the pH of the contaminated milk, each of which contained equal amounts of acetone
Summary
Dairy products are a significant part of typical U.S diets [1]. Milk’s broad reach, in addition to its multi-stage processing chain, makes it especially vulnerable to intentional contamination. The processing of cheese begins with the coagulation of milk [2]. The coagulated milk is further processed into the desired cheese product. The coagulation of milk is a multi-stage process of overlapping physico-chemical changes. Cheese-making often begins with the aspartyl protease chymosin ( called rennet). Chymosin hydrolyzes the amide bond between Phe105 and Met106 of the κ-casein milk protein [3]. The catalyzed hydrolysis reaction releases the hydrophilic tail of κ-casein and the hydrophobic effect drives aggregation of the casein micelles [2]
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