title: Detection of fraudulent addition of bovine whey in water buffalo ricotta cheese by isoelectric focusing.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Prevention of food fraud in the dairy field is a difficult issue for researchers, industries and policy makers, both for commercial and health reasons. Currently, no analytical method allows detection of the addition of bovine whey to water buffalo ricotta, so this fraudulent practice cannot be prevented. The authors' aim was to develop such a method.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The conditions for extraction and purification of denatured ricotta whey proteins, which are unfolded and coagulated by heating during the production process, were optimized. The optimal composition of the polyacrylamide gel (pH range, type and concentration of chemical separator) was first evaluated and then the best conditions to perform the separation by isoelectric focusing were established. The performance of the method (precision, selectivity, robustness, sensibility) was determined.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The method was shown to be reliable and robust for detection of the presence of bovine whey added to water buffalo Ricotta at percentages above 5% (v/v). The results suggest that the differences observed between bovine and water buffalo electrophoretic profiles are due to bovine β-lactoglobulin isoform A, which is never detected in water buffalo samples.
authors.affiliation: Department of Central Inspectorate for Food and Feed Quality Protection and Fraud Repression, Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forestry Policies, Central Laboratory of Rome, 00149 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Fabio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Fuselli
authors.affiliation: Department of Central Inspectorate for Food and Feed Quality Protection and Fraud Repression, Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forestry Policies, Central Laboratory of Rome, 00149 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Deluca
authors.affiliation: Department of Central Inspectorate for Food and Feed Quality Protection and Fraud Repression, Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forestry Policies, Central Laboratory of Rome, 00149 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Emanuela A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Montepeloso
authors.affiliation: Department of Central Inspectorate for Food and Feed Quality Protection and Fraud Repression, Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forestry Policies, Central Laboratory of Rome, 00149 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Giulia
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ibba
authors.affiliation: Department of Central Inspectorate for Food and Feed Quality Protection and Fraud Repression, Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forestry Policies, Central Laboratory of Rome, 00149 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Flavio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Tidona
authors.affiliation: Department of Central Inspectorate for Food and Feed Quality Protection and Fraud Repression, Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forestry Policies, Central Laboratory of Rome, 00149 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Lucia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Longo
authors.affiliation: Department of Central Inspectorate for Food and Feed Quality Protection and Fraud Repression, Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forestry Policies, Central Laboratory of Rome, 00149 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Rosa M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Marianella
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002020:Buffaloes; D002417:Cattle; D002611:Cheese / Q000032:analysis*; D008192:Deception; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D005506:Food Contamination / Q000032:analysis*; D005515:Food Labeling / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D059022:Food Safety; D005607:Fraud; D006801:Humans; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D007525:Isoelectric Focusing / Q000379:methods*; D007526:Isoelectric Point; D007782:Lactoglobulins / Q000032:analysis*; D008892:Milk / Q000737:chemistry*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D000067796:Whey; D000067816:Whey Proteins / Q000032:analysis* / Q000302:isolation & purification
chemical_list: D007782:Lactoglobulins; D000067816:Whey Proteins
keywords: detection of bovine whey; food fraud prevention; isoelectric focusing; water buffalo ricotta