Caseinomacropeptide index in UHT whole milk stored under different conditions of temperature and time

Caseinomacropeptide (CMP) index is a method used to detect adulteration of milk by addition of cheese whey, since CMP is a glycopeptide characteristic produced during cheesemaking, and soluble in the whey phase. The objective of this work was to evaluate the caseinomacropeptide index of UHT milk stored under different temperatures. Six batches of recently processed UHT milk were collected and stored under three temperatures (21°C, 6°C, and -12°C) and analyzed by HPLC in the day of the milk collection (day 0) and at 30, 60, 90, and 120 days of storage. The experiment was run as a randomized block design with a 3x5 factorial arrangement, and the Student-Newman-Keuls (SNK) method was used as the post- hoc test (p = 0.05). There was a progressive increase of the CMP index during the storage period of 120 days, and this indicates the possibility of false positive results if the CMP index is used as an adulteration test for long term stored UHT milk. The validity of the CMP index as an adulteration indicator is only possible soon after packaging, and sample freezing is the only alternative when immediate analysis is not possible. The method was found to be precise, with robust CV of 1.9% even with high CMP levels.