Validation of the Methods for Detection the Non-Milk Fat in a Mixture of Milk Fat and Palm Oil

Milk fat contains a variety of nutritive and health-promoting compounds that guard against some disease. In the current system of global competition, when the quality of milk and milk products is not an option but rather a requirement, therefore, determining the purity of milk fat is critical. This study aims to validate analytical methods for detecting palm oil in a mixture of milk fat and palm oil. Methods of this study was involved detection of non-milk fat in fat blinders by determining the saponification value, iodine number, refractive index, butyro refractometer reading, Gas chromatography, Reverse Phase High-performance liquid chromatography, and Fourier transforms Infrared. The results of this study revealed that the saponification value, Iodine number, refractive index, and Butyro Reading could be used to detect the addition of palm oil by a level of 10% - 20% or more to the milk. The level of some fatty acids in the milk as determined by GC, such as myristic acid (C14:0), palmitic acid (C16:0), and stearic acid (C18:0), is correlated well with the level of adding palm oil to milk fat. The determination of cholesterol and β-sito-sterol content by RP-HPLC could be used for the detection of the addition of palm oil to milk fat. The spectrum behavior produced by FTIR spectroscopy in this adulterated sample is almost the same, so this technique could not be used to detect the palm oil in milk fat.