AOAC 2000.18: Milk Fat Determination - Gerber Method of Analysis

What should be the fat content of milk? What are the Methods of Fat Determination in Milk?

What should be the fat content of milk?

Many parameters are evaluated to determine the quality and nutritional value of milk. Among these, fat content is an important parameter. The fat content of milk usually varies between 3% and 4%. However, this rate depends on the type of milk, nutritional conditions and processing methods. The fat content of various milks can be as follows:

The normal fat content for cow's milk is usually around 3.5%.
Other types of milk, such as sheep's milk and goat's milk, may be higher.
For skim milk or low-fat milk options, the fat content can be between 0.5% and 2%.

Accurately determining the milk fat content is a critical step in terms of food safety and product quality.

What are the Methods for Fat Determination in Milk?

In addition to being a quality indicator, fat content in milk is an important parameter for determining compliance with relevant regulations and legal regulations. Fat content can be determined using various methods. These methods are as follows:

Gerber Method: It is one of the oldest and most widely used methods. This method provides fat measurement by separating the fat in milk in an acidic environment. It is widely used both in laboratories and production lines.
Rose-Gottlieb Method: This method allows milk fat to be separated by dissolving it in ether. The Rose-Gottlieb method is particularly suitable for analytical studies requiring high accuracy.
Babcock Method: This method uses sulfuric acid to separate milk fat. This method is also a common laboratory analysis method.
Centrifuge Method: The milk sample is rapidly spun in a centrifuge to separate the fat and water. This method is generally preferred in more modern laboratories and industrial analysis.
Chlorophome-Methanol Method: This is a method in which the milk sample is mixed with chlorophosome and methanol to dissolve the fat. It is generally preferred in more sensitive analyzes.

What is the Gerber Method?

As mentioned above, it is a classical laboratory analysis method used to determine the fat content in milk. This method is widely used especially in the dairy industry and food laboratories. The basic principle of the Gerber method is to release the fat in milk in an acidic environment (such as sulfuric acid) and then determine the amount of this fat with a special measuring device.

Within the scope of AOAC 2000.18 standard, fat determination in milk is performed by Gerber Method.

The milk sample is weighed into a Gerber butyrometer containing H2SO4.
Isoamyl alcohol is added.
The contents of the butyrometer are stirred vigorously to dissolve the clot and release the fat.
The oil is isolated by centrifugation.
Measured in the graduated section of a Gerber butyrometer.

AOAC 2000.18: Fat Content of Raw and Pasteurized Whole Milk Gerber Method by Weight

Nano-lab Laboratories Group continues to provide services within the scope of Fat Determination in Milk. We also provide services on Homogenization Test in Milk.

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