Assessment of milk quality during storage based on DNA extracted from milk

Abstract

This study investigated the changes of DNA and milk quality during storage at temperatures of 2°C, 10°C and 20°C. Milk quality was assessed by measuring the milk protein, milk fat, lactose, pH and acidity. The quality of DNA extracted from milk was evaluated by monitoring DNA content, purity, and degradation as well as by amplifying target sequences from mitochondrial and nuclear genes. In addition, nonlinear regression models were used to analyze the correlations between DNA content and milk quality. As expected, the deterioration was observed in both DNA and milk quality during storage. Mathematical models showed the high correlations (R2 > 0.9) between DNA content and milk quality. These established mathematical models hold the potential to evaluate the milk quality and may be applied practically in the process design and quality control of dairy products in the future.