China Section Hosted SPIFAN Preparatory Meeting on Whey/Casein Ratio Analysis

China Section Hosted SPIFAN Preparatory Meeting

on Whey/Casein Ratio Analysis

Photo 1 Participants at AOAC SPIFAN Preparatory Meeting in China

AOAC SPIFAN Preparatory Meeting was successfully held in Yantai, China on May 24-25. The meeting was organized by China section, AOAC INTERNATIONAL and co-organized by the Food and Agricultural Products Test Agency of Shandong Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau (FATA-SDCIQ) and Yantai Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau. 23 experts attended the meeting, who are representatives coming from AOAC INTERNATIONAL, China Section, Shandong CIQ, Shanghai CIQ, China National Center For Food Safety Risk Assessment, Beijing Center for Disease Control ＆ Prevention (CDC), Zhejiang CDC, Agilent, major international infant formula dairy industries from Abbott, Nestle, Danone, and Wyeth, and major national infant dairy industries from Syrutra and Yili.

Dr. Lei Bao, President of China Section, AOAC and senior scientist, AQSIQ, Chaired the meeting on May 24. Dr. Liang Chengzhu, Director of FATA-SDCIQ, addressed welcoming speech; Then Dr. Lei Bao, gave a detailed introduction on Background of AOAC INTERNATIONAL and China Section. In her presentation, she introduced AOAC’s history, communities, sections, publications, and capabilities. She encouraged Chinese analytical community to be actively involved in AOAC scientific activities and make good use of this resource to help in their analytical work and also communications with international analytical community; Dr. Darryl M, Sullivan, AOAC Board Director, elaborated the alterative path to achieve an official method and interpreted what the Standard Method Performance Requirements are. Ms Jing Xiao, from China National Center for Food Safety Risk Assessment, gave a presentation about the procedure of National Food Safety Standards development.

Photo 2 Four methods were presented and discussed at the meeting

In the following time, around the subject of detecting Whey protein and Casein in infant formula, four methods (LC-MS/MS, CE, Amino Acid Analysis, LC/Kjeldhal) were presented and discussed in the meeting. Ren Yiping, expert from Zhejiang CDC, illustrated a new method for determination of alpha-lactabumin in infant formula with liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry. The method, designed for detecting natural and denatured proteins, takes specific peptides derived from alpha-lactabumin enzymolysis as target analytes, using isotopes-labeled peptides as internal standards. Ding Xiaojing, senior scientist in Beijing CDC, introduced her work on Whey proteins analysis in milk and milk products by capillary electrophoresis. Identified with high separation efficiency, low cost of analysis, high sample throughput, the method shows good capability in analyzing Whey proteins despite of inability to detect denatured and hydrolyzed whey.  Linda Zhao, scientist from Abbott, demonstrated her slides about determining Whey/Casein Ratio using amino acid analysis. This indirect method has been used as internal method in Abbott for many years. Angela Song, Scientist from Danone, gave brief introduction of a Germany official method. The method employs liquid chromatography with UV detector to assay phosphorus and Kjeldahl procedure to determine total protein. The phosphorus content is related to Casein. So the Whey content can be deduced from simple calculation. After four methods’ presentations, the strengths and weakness of those methods were discussed by attendees.

Photo 3 Good discussion among experts at the meeting

Finally, participating experts gave a full discussion on the summary of preparatory meeting for Whey/Casein ratio held on May in US and presented their opinions against each item in the summary, especially on strengths and weaknesses of the methods;

This meeting gathered four methods about detection of Whey/Casein ratio in infant formula, and opinions on strength and weaknesses of those methods and other international methods from AOAC INTERNATIONAL. After the meeting, appended opinions from Chinese experts were submitted to AOAC INTERNATIONAL and voices from Chinese experts will be heard in the coming US SPIFAN meeting in June. Furthermore, a bridge between experts from governments, competent authorities, relevant testing agencies and manufactures was built by China Section through the meeting, which would make progress in developing more rational analytical standards, also bring benefits to consumers, especially for infants worldwide.

Photo 4 China Section successfully hosted the meeting which attracted experts from governments, competent authorities, relevant testing agencies and manufactures

Contributed writer: Lei Bao, president, China Section/ senior scientist, AQSIQ And Hongwei Zhang, chemist, FATA-SDCIQ