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This study aims to develop a novel and rapid method which uses enzymatic spectrophotometric assay and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) for differentiating adulterated milk from pure fresh milk. Furthermore, this study will use the lactulose and Maillard-derived compounds as indicators to distinguish reconstituted milk from fresh milk. In bottle-sterilized milk, lactulose concentration decreased with the increasing addition of reconstituted skim milk. In addition, the content of lactulose in raw, low-temperature long-time (LTLT), and high-temperature short-time (HTST) skim milk samples increased with the proportion of reconstituted milk. Furosine, which had a retention time (RT) of 4.686 min in standard solution, had the RTs of 4.908, 4.926, 4.940, and 4.973 min in raw, LTLT, HTST, and bottle-sterilized milk samples, respectively. The RT peak increased along with the content of reconstituted milk in raw, LTLT, and HTST milk samples but decreased in bottle-sterilized milk. In conclusion, this work represents an important step toward detecting adulterated milk and tightening food safety regulations.

Industrial wastewater containing heavy metals can become a serious environmental pollutant if not treated appropriately. Conventional treatment to remove toxic heavy metals can be expensive and may generate large amounts of toxic sludge. Regenerated natural wastes such as eggshells and eggshell membrane which are easily available, inexpensive, biodegradable, and have high adsorbability, can act as promising 'green' alternatives to remove heavy metal pollutants from wastewater. Here, we studied the adsorption capacity of eggshells with membrane (ESWM), eggshell membrane (ESM), and eggshells (ES) for the removal of nickel and silver ions in synthetic wastewater. Reaction time (1 to 72 h), metal ion concentration (25 to 200 mg/L), adsorbent dosage (0.1 to 0.8g/20mL), temperature (15°C to 45°C), and pH (1 to 9) were evaluated. Post-treatment nickel and silver concentrations were later analyzed using a spectrophotometer. Our results indicated increased removal of nickel and silver ions with increased adsorbent (all three ESWM, ESM, and ES) dosage, whereas the removal of nickel and silver ion decreased with increasing initial metal concentration. Among ESWM, ESM, and ES, ESM has the highest removal capacity and was the best adsorbent. The 0.8 g of ESM could remove 90.91% of nickel ions (100 mg/L) at 25°C, pH 5.76 and 24 h. On the other hand, approximately 100% of silver ions (25 mg/L) could be removed by 0.2 g of ESM at 25°C, pH 5.2, and 24 h. There was no difference in the adsorbability of ES and ESWM on nickel and silver ions. In summary, all three adsorbents, ESWM, ES, and ESM, can remove heavy metal ions from aqueous solution, with ESM having the highest efficiency. Hence, eggshell and its derivatives can be promising 'green' adsorbent materials for treating wastewater containing nickel and silver ions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Well-documented stability studies on iron-fortified food are limited due to the complexity of ingredients and processing methods. Here, we performed a comprehensive stability evaluation on iron-fortified milk powder with various iron contents and packaging methods. Free fatty acid increased gradually over a 9 month storage period in both iron-fortified and non iron-fortified formulas, regardless of the packaging methods. Thiobarbituric acid (TBA) value level remained stable in anaerobic packaging condition but increased in aerobic condition. Lipid oxidation was highest in Fe(III)-fortified formula. We showed significant increment of browning reactions, moisture and water activities in aerobic condition, especially in iron-fortified formulas, while no significant changes in anaerobic-packaged formulas. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed highest porosity in Fe(III)-fortified formula. Our results showed Fe(III)-fortified formula has the lowest stability in aerobic condition but its stability improved significantly with vacuum/anaerobic packaging. Thus, our studies contribute to understanding and improving the processing and quality of iron-fortified food. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]