Detection of cows' milk in ewes' milk and cheese by an indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Summary: An indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was successfully developed for the detection of defined amounts of cows' milk (1–50%) in sheeps' milk and cheese. The assay used polyclonal antibodies raised in rabbits against bovine caseins (BC). The anti-BC antibodies were recovered from the crude antiserum by immunoadsorption and elution from a column containing BC. The antibodies were biotinylated and rendered cows' milk specific by mixing them with lyophilized ovine and caprine caseins. ExtrAvidin-peroxidase was used to detect the biotinylated anti-BC antibodies bound to BC immobilized on 96-well plates. Subsequent enzymic conversion of substrate gave clear absorbance differences when assaying mixtures of sheeps' milk and cheese containing variable amounts of cows' milk.