Modifications of milk constituents during processing: A preliminary benchmarking study

Formation of N(epsilon)-(carboxymethyl)lysine and loss of lysine in casein glucose-fatty acid model systems

Advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) and advanced lipoxidation end-products (ALEs) form when proteins are heated with reducing sugar or lipid. N(epsilon)-(Carboxymethyl)lysine (CML) is the most commonly studied AGE/ALE in foods, but the relative importance of dietary sugar and lipid as its precursors is uncertain. The aim of this study was to determine the relative amounts of CML formed from fatty acid and glucose in a model food system. Model systems were prepared by heating casein (3.2%) with glucose or fatty acid (oleic, linoleic, linolenic, or arachidonic acid) (200 mM) or a mixture of glucose and linolenic acid (200 mM of each precursor) at 95 degrees C for up to 8 h. CML was determined by ultrapressure liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The amount of CML formed from casein and glucose incubated at 95 degrees C for 8 h was 15-fold higher than that obtained when casein was heated with arachidonic acid under the same conditions. However, the loss of lysine in the casein-arachidonic acid incubations was 83% compared to 54% loss in the casein-glucose incubations. The loss of lysine in casein-fatty acid model systems increased with degree of unsaturation of the fatty acid. The formation of lipid peroxidation products during oxidation of fatty acids might be a potent factor for loss of lysine in the casein-fatty acid systems.

Liquid infant formulas: technological tools for limiting heat damage

In a study considering 15 commercial samples of liquid milk-based infant formulas (MBF) from different manufacturers, the levels of selected molecules, that is, furosine (FUR), galactosyl-beta-pyranone (GAP), lactulose (LCT), and lysinoalanine (LAL), have been measured to provide estimation of the heat damage in these products. The ranges of the studied markers were as follows: FUR=153-600 mg 100 g(-1) of protein, GAP=0.5-4.3 mg L(-1), LCT=226-1511 mg L(-1), and LAL=1.0-16.1 mg 100 g(-1) of protein. The highest levels were found in MBF intended for the youngest babies. Experimental samples were produced in an industrial plant to evaluate the relative contribution of individual technological aspects to the final heat damage. About 90% of both GAP and LCT contents was due to the ultrahigh-temperature sterilization process itself. This effect was more than halved when the pH of the ingredient mixture was adjusted from 7.2 to 6.9 before sterilization or when the product recirculated in the plant was discarded. Up to 60 and 20%, respectively, of the FUR and LAL levels in the finished product were already present in protein ingredients (whey powder, whey protein concentrate). Accurate optimization of processing conditions and scrupulous selection of raw materials proved to be effective means to minimize heat damage in such special food products.

Analysis of advanced glycation endproducts in dairy products by isotope dilution liquid chromatography-electrospray tandem mass spectrometry. The particular case of carboxymethyllysine

A fully validated multiple-transition recording isotope dilution liquid chromatography-electrospray tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method for the simultaneous quantitative determination of N(epsilon)-carboxymethyllysine (CML) and lysine in dairy products is described. Internal standards were [N-1',2'-(13)C(2)]CML and [1,2,3,4,5,6-(13)C(6)-2,6-(15)N(2)]lysine, and the method was validated by evaluating the selectivity, linearity, precision (repeatability and reproducibility) and trueness, using both powder and liquid products. For liquid dairy products, the repeatability and reproducibility was 2.79% and 11.0%, while 4.85% and 4.92% were determined for powder dairy products, respectively. The trueness of the method ranged from -9.6% to -3.6% for powder and from -0.99% to 6.8% for liquid dairy products. The limit of detection for CML was estimated to be 8 ng CML per mg protein while the limit of quantification was 27 ng CML per mg protein. The method encompasses a proteolytic cleavage mediated by enzymatic digestion to reach a complete release of the amino acids prior to a sample cleanup based on solid phase extraction, and followed by LC-MS/MS analysis of CML and lysine residues. To ensure a suitable performance of the enzymatic digestion, CML measurements were compared to values obtained with an acid hydrolysis-mediated proteolysis. Finally, the method was employed for the analysis of CML in various dairy products. The values compare well to the data available in the literature when similar methods were used, even if some discrepancies were observed upon comparison with the results obtained by other techniques such as enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and GC-MS.

Ultra high temperature treatment, but not pasteurization, affects the postprandial kinetics of milk proteins in humans

Although the chemical and physical modifications to milk proteins induced by technological treatments have been characterized extensively, their nutritional consequences have rarely been assessed in humans. We measured the effect of 2 technological treatments on the postprandial utilization of milk nitrogen (N), pasteurization (PAST) and ultra high temperature (UHT), compared with microfiltration (MF), using a sensitive method based on the use of milk proteins intrinsically labeled with (15)N. Twenty-five subjects were studied after a 1-wk standardization of their diet. On the day of the investigation, they ingested a single test meal corresponding to 500 mL of either MF, PAST, or UHT defatted milk. Serum amino acid (AA) levels as well as the transfer of (15)N into serum protein and AA, body urea, and urinary urea were determined throughout the 8-h postprandial period. The kinetics of dietary N transfer to serum AA, proteins, and urea did not differ between the MF and PAST groups. The transfer of dietary N to serum AA and protein and to body urea was significantly higher in UHT than in either the PAST or MF group. Postprandial deamination losses from dietary AA represented 25.9 +/- 3.3% of ingested N in the UHT group, 18.5 +/- 3.0% in the MF group, and 18.6 +/- 3.7% in the PAST group (P < 0.0001). The higher anabolic use of dietary N in plasma proteins after UHT ingestion strongly suggests that these differences are due to modifications to digestive kinetics and the further metabolism of dietary proteins subsequent to this particular treatment of milk.

Effects of ultra-high-pressure homogenization treatment on the lipolysis and lipid oxidation of milk during refrigerated storage

Free fatty acid (FFA) release and quantification and lipid oxidation extent of ultra-high-pressure homogenized (UHPH) milk samples were evaluated to assess the effect of UHPH on the susceptibility of milk lipids to lipolysis and oxidation. Milk was UHPH-treated at 200 and 300 MPa with inlet temperatures of 30 and 40 degrees C. UHPH-treated samples were compared to high-pasteurized milk (PA; 90 degrees C, 15 s). Results showed that all FFA increased significantly during storage only in 200 MPa samples. Lipid oxidation was measured as an accumulation of lipid hydroperoxides as the primary oxidation product and malondialdehyde and hexanal as the secondary oxidation products. Samples treated at 300 MPa presented higher malondialdehyde and hexanal content compared to 200 MPa treated-samples and to PA milk.

Determination of N epsilon-(carboxymethyl)lysine in foods and related systems

The sensitive and specific determination of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) is of considerable interest because these compounds have been associated with pro-oxidative and proinflammatory effects in vivo. AGEs form when carbonyl compounds, such as glucose and its oxidation products, glyoxal and methylglyoxal, react with the epsilon-amino group of lysine and the guanidino group of arginine to give structures including N epsilon-(carboxymethyl)lysine (CML), N epsilon-(carboxyethyl)lysine, and hydroimidazolones. CML is frequently used as a marker for AGEs in general. It exists in both the free or peptide-bound forms. Analysis of CML involves its extraction from the food (including protein hydrolysis to release any peptide-bound adduct) and determination by immunochemical or instrumental means. Various factors must be considered at each step of the analysis. Extraction, hydrolysis, and sample clean-up are all less straight forward for food samples, compared to plasma and tissue. The immunochemical and instrumental methods all have their advantages and disadvantages, and no perfect method exists. Currently, different procedures are being used in different laboratories, and there is an urgent need to compare, improve, and validate methods.

Identification and site-specific relative quantification of beta-lactoglobulin modifications in heated milk and dairy products

During milk processing, proteins can be severely modified by oxidation, condensation, and Maillard reaction, leading to changes in their nutritional and technological properties. In this study, major modifications of beta-lactoglobulin, formed during the heating and processing of milk, were screened by mass spectrometry. For this purpose, beta-lactoglobulin was isolated from the milk samples by gel electrophoresis and analyzed by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry after in-gel digestion with endoproteinase AspN. In heated milk, lactulosyllysine was detected at lysine 47 and 138 or 141 as well as methionine sulfoxide at methionine 7, 24, and 145. All these modifications increased gradually when raw milk was heated for 20, 40, and 60 min at 120 degrees C. The major modifications were also relatively quantified in dairy products, such as raw, high-temperature, ultra-high-temperature, sterilized, and condensed milk as well as infant formulas. The highest contents of lactulosyllysine at Lys47 were detected in powdered infant formulas, whereas lactulosyllysine at Lys138/141 was predominant in condensed milk samples. Methionine sulfoxide at Met7 and Met24 showed a trend toward higher modification rates in more severely processed products.

Determination of Nepsilon-(carboxymethyl)lysine in food systems by ultra performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry

We report the use of ultra pressure liquid chromatography (UPLC), coupled to a tandem mass spectrometer operated in multiple reaction monitoring mode to determine the advanced glycation endproduct, Nepsilon-(carboxymethyl)lysine (CML). The procedure was applied to acid hydrolyzates of protein isolated from a range of foods (milks processed at different temperatures, butter, cheese, infant formulae, bread, raw and cooked minced beef and olive oil). Highest levels of CML were determined in white bread crust (15.2 +/- 0.63 mmol/mol Lys), wholemeal bread crust (13.1 +/- 0.61 mmol/mol Lys) and evaporated full-fat milk (4.86 +/- 0.77 mmol/mol Lys). Lowest levels of CML were measured in raw minced beef beef (0.03 +/- 002 mmol/mol Lys), raw full-fat cow's milk (0.08 +/- 0.03 mmol/mol Lys) and pasteurized skimmed cow's milk (0.09 +/- 0.002 mmol/mol Lys). CML could not be detected in olive oil.

Site-specific formation of Maillard, oxidation, and condensation products from whey proteins during reaction with lactose

Heat treatment of dairy products leads to structural changes of proteins, which can severely decrease the nutritional value [Mauron, J. J. Nutr. Sci. Vitaminol. (Tokyo) 1990, 36 (Suppl. 1), S57-69]. In this study, model solutions of the two main whey proteins, alpha-lactalbumin and beta-lactoglobulin, respectively, were incubated with lactose, and modifications were monitored by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS). Lactulosyl residues were the most abundant modifications of alpha-lactalbumin and beta-lactoglobulin. Up to four of these adducts were identified on the proteins. Enzymatical digest with endoproteinase AspN prior to mass spectrometric analysis allowed the detection of further modifications and their localization in the amino acid sequence. Most prominent modifications were lactulosyllysine, Nepsilon-carboxymethyllysine, oxidation of lysine to aminoadipic semialdehyde, oxidation of methionine to methionine sulfoxide, cyclization of N-terminal glutamic acid to a pyrrolidone, and oxidation of cysteine or tryptophan. The presence of methionine oxidation was deduced from a control protein that had been oxidized by hydrogen peroxide. These studies establish MALDI-TOF-MS as a reliable tool to monitor chemical modifications of nutritional proteins during food processing.

Chromatographic and electrophoretic approaches for the analysis of protein quality of soy beverages

Furosine, generated by acid hydrolysis of fructosyllysine, an early Maillard reaction product, is a highly valuable indicator of food quality and, more specifically, of food protein quality. Ion pair RP-HPLC and CZE techniques were employed to determine furosine content in beverages based on soymilk (n = 15) and cow's milk supplemented with soy isoflavones (n = 1). The levels of furosine found in the samples ranged from 25.55 +/- 0.18 to 170.72 +/- 10.4 mg/100 g of protein by HPLC and from 28.67 +/- 1.84 to 161.25 +/- 5.78 mg/100 g of protein by CZE. Results obtained by both analytical techniques do not differ significantly (p > 0.05), confirming their feasibility for furosine analysis in soy-based products.

Evaluation of a gas chromatography/mass spectrometry method for the quantification of carboxymethyllysine in food samples

An accurate method for the quantification of carboxymethyllysine (CML) in food samples is evaluated. CML, a stable advanced Maillard compound, is considered as an useful marker of protein damage in severely heated foods. The proposed GC-MS method stipulates double derivatisation of amino acids and quantification by selected ion monitoring. Relative error of repeatability was further improved from 5 to 1% by replacing internal standard by isotope dilution. Comparison with enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was performed on infant formulas, with satisfactory results in powdered but not in liquid formulas. Quantification of CML in several food matrices allowed evidencing CML formation in food products containing reducing sugar only.