Journal
METABOLITES
Volume 11, Issue 7, Pages -Publisher
MDPI
DOI: 10.3390/metabo11070419
Keywords
NMR; metabolomics; milk; shelf-life; food waste
Categories
Funding
- Sustainable and Resilient Economy Discovery Theme Program at the Ohio State University
- Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center
- Foods for Health Discovery Theme Program
- Dale A. Seiberling Endowment for the Food Engineering Research Laboratory at the Ohio State University
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This study investigates the impact of storage temperature and time on the concentration of key metabolites in milk, providing insights into the factors affecting milk stability. Different metabolites exhibit varying responses to storage time and temperature, with potential implications for real-time shelf-life monitoring and reduction of milk waste.
The current date labeling system for pasteurized milk is based on the predicted growth of spoilage microorganisms, but inherent inaccuracies and the inability to account for environmental factors (e.g., temperature fluctuations) contribute to household and retail food waste. Improved shelf-life estimation can be achieved by monitoring milk quality in real-time. In this study, we identify and quantify metabolites changing over storage temperature and time, the main factors affecting milk stability. Pasteurized 2% fat milk was stored at 4, 10, 15, and 20 degrees C. Metabolite change was analyzed using untargeted and targeted nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) metabolomics approaches. Several metabolites correlated significantly to storage time and temperature. Citric acid decreased linearly over time at a temperature-dependent rate. Ethanol, formic acid, acetic acid, lactic acid, and succinic acid increased non-linearly after an initial period of minimal increase. Butyric acid exhibited strong inverse temperature dependencies. This study provides the first analysis of the effect of time and temperature on the concentration of key metabolites during milk storage. Candidate molecules for shelf-life monitoring have been identified, and the results improve our understanding of molecular changes during milk storage. These results will inform the development of real-time shelf-life indicators for milk, helping to reduce milk waste.
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