Le colostrum, un lait particulièrement riche en de nombreux composants : peut-on en déceler la présence dans les livraisons de lait de vache ?

Abstract

Colostrum, a milk particulariy rich in numerous components. Is it possible to detect its unlawful addition in milk supplies? The concentration of numerous proteins, enzymes, hormones, growth factors, vitamins, minerai and trace elements decreases abruptly during the first milk- ings post-partum and then increases in late lactation and during the udder involution before calving. Therefore, colostrum cannot be precisely defined since it is a milk ail the more abnormal than it is milked closer from calving. So its unlawful addition to milk supply may only be detected by the modification of the normal composition of the' milk. From ail the components reviewed, IgG are the most documented and sensitive indicators of an abnormai milk. They can he easily quantified using a semi-automatised single radial immunodiffusion technique and threshold values characteristic of an abnormal milk have been defined taking into account the volume of the milk supply. © Inra! Elsevier, Paris. colostrum / milk quality / IgG / automatised radial immunodiffusion