Keeping milk fresh for longer is a good thing, provided we don’t create health problems along the way.
Lactoperoxidase process
Slowing the lactoperoxidase process is a key way of prolonging the shelf life of milk. Unfortunately, the simple way of doing this, adding thiocyanate to milk, can have a negative effect on the thyroid, especially for infants.
Along with iodine and perchlorate, thiocyanate levels in milk have a strong influence on the performance of the thyroid, and there are many sources. Iodine is present in a surprising range of places in the dairy process. From the farm, feed stock often contains iodine and iodine is used in sterilising products used for cleaning of milking equipment. To the addition of iodine at the milk processing stage.
As young children are exposed to more infant formula, monitoring the level of these components in milk becomes more important. For this reason, ensuring appropriate levels of these components is now an important part of milk analysis.
Metrohm ion chromatography takes the sample preparation out of analysis by incorporating in-line dialysis to remove proteins and fats that would otherwise block a system flow path. What has historically been a time consuming and laborious sample preparation, can now be performed in a matter of minutes without human interference.