A rapid HPLC method for the determination of lactoferrin in milk of various species

This Research Communication describes the adaptation and testing of an RP-HPLC method, previously tested for the determination of lactoferrin (LF) in whey, for its applicability to determine milk lactoferrin content. Milk samples of various species, namely, ovine, caprine, bovine, donkey and human milk, were tested. The advantage of this RP-HPLC method includes speed and convenience, as it does not include extensive pretreatment or separation steps. A simple pre-treatment step was added in order to remove fat and proteins of the casein family and the samples were tested. The results varied in terms of elution of the LF peak both between the milk of the different species as well as from the initial application on whey. The peak resolution was satisfactory in the cases of ovine, bovine and donkey milk samples while for caprine and human milk an interference with other peaks was observed. Nevertheless, quantification of LF was found possible for all samples. This new application of the modified method will allow the determination of LF in milk samples of the tested species either for everyday analysis or as a useful qualitative screening for presence or absence of LF.