A Portable Chemiluminescence Assay of Alkaline Phosphatase Activity To Monitor Pasteurization of Milk Products

A chemiluminescence assay using a handheld luminometer to measure the activity of alkaline phosphatase was developed that can detect 0.002% or more of unpasteurized milk in various milk products. Evaluation of the assay followed an National Conference on Interstate Milk Shipments (NCIMS)-approved protocol in which aliquots of pasteurized milk products were spiked with raw milk at various levels. Milk products evaluated included skim white milk, 1 and 2% fat content white milk, whole white milk, strawberry-flavored 1% fat content milk, chocolate-flavored 1% fat content milk, half-and-half, and heavy cream. Split samples were prepared, and alkaline phosphatase activities were determined in triplicate on 4 days by three NCIMS-accredited laboratories by the chemiluminescent method and NCIMS-approved reference methods. Equivalence of the chemiluminescent method to the approved reference methods was demonstrated for all eight products evaluated over a range of raw milk concentration from 0 to 0.5%, using criteria established by NCIMS, in which mean results obtained by the three laboratories by the chemiluminescent method were within 1 standard deviation of the mean results obtained by the NCIMS-approved reference methods at each alkaline phosphatase concentration. Procedures for measurement of microbial and reactivated alkaline phosphatase were also established for the method.