Is Ultra-High Temperature Processed Milk Safe in Terms of Heterocyclic Aromatic Amines?

Fatih Oz,Maomao Zeng,Eyad Aoudeh,Theodoros Varzakas,A M Abd El-Aty,Emel Oz

doi:10.3390/foods10061247

Abstract

Herein, the presence of heterocyclic aromatic amines (HAAs) in 24 different commercial ultra-high temperature processed (UHT) milk types was investigated. The dry matter and pH values of the samples were also determined. The milk types showed significant differences (p < 0.01) regarding the dry matter, pH values, and individual HAAs and total HAAs. The milk sample dry matter and pH values were in the range of 8.56–13.92% and 6.66–6.91, respectively. The growing up milk samples had the highest dry matter and pH values. While no significant correlation between the total HAAs and dry matter was found, a negative correlation (p < 0.01) between the total HAAs and pH value was determined. Among the tested HAAs, five compounds, (IQx (up to 0.06 ng), IQ (up to 0.10 ng), MeIQx (up to 0.55 ng), MeIQ (up to 1.97 ng), and PhIP (up to 0.39 ng)) were quantified in the samples. The average total HAAs of the samples ranged from 0.13 to 0.67 ng; however, one milk sample (200 mL) contained between 10.10 and 53.35 ng total HAAs. Therefore, it was shown that protein fortification and lactose hydrolysis substantially increased the formation of HAAs in UHT milk.

Highlights

Milk is a nutrient-dense food supplying all the essential components for growth and development
The highest dry matter was detected in the growing up milk samples, attributed to high carbohydrate and fat contents (Table 1)
Our results showed that lactose hydrolysis led to significant increases in the total heterocyclic aromatic amines (HAAs) content of ultra-high temperature processed (UHT) milk samples

Summary

Introduction

Milk is a nutrient-dense food supplying all the essential components for growth and development. It contains water (87%), readily digestible fats (3–4%), high biological value proteins (3.5%), lactose (5%), minerals (1.2%), and vitamins (0.1%), in addition to many other minor constituents that have a positive effect on human health [1,2,3]. Adequate intake of milk and dairy products, during childhood, might have beneficial effects on health and reduce the risk of osteoporosis, hypertension, and obesity during adulthood [4,5]. Some studies showed that milk intake was associated with an increased risk of several diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, and diabetes, due to its high content of saturated fatty acids [1,4,6]. Different types of ultra-high temperature processed (UHT) milk, such as growing up milk, lactose-free semi-skimmed milk, protein-fortified milk, whole milk, organic milk, skimmed milk, and semi-skimmed milk, are often found in markets

Methods

Results

Conclusion