Preservation of Milk and Milk Products for Analytical Purposes

摘要

Milk is a complete food containing high-quality protein, the only source of lactose, and an excellent source of calcium. Thus, milk is prone to adulteration and to combat this menace, in India, the government appoints food safety officers who carry out chemical examination of milk and milk products. Formalin is the only legally permitted preservative for milk and milk products, in India, meant for analytical purposes. Scientific reports suggest that formalin interferes in maintaining the compositional profile; since accuracy in analysis of milk components is very important, these changes can be problematic. The other preservatives that have been described in the literature include mercuric chloride, potassium dichromate, hydrogen peroxide, bronopol, and azidiol Most of these preservatives are bactericidal but either involve a health hazard or environmental hazard or are unsuitable for long-term storage. Hence, there is a need to uncover combinations of antibacterial agents and bacteriostatic antibiotics for preserving milk and milk products until analyzed.