Determination of vitamin B9 levels in the milk of Brown Swiss and Simmental cows using the ELISA method

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine the levels of folic acid in Brown Swiss and Simmental cows’ milk by the competitive ELISA method. Brown Swiss and Simmental cows’ milk samples were collected from two dairies between  February and August 2017 (20 samples from Brown Swiss and 22 samples  from Simmental). The average level of vitamin B9 in Brown Swiss milk was approximately 3.27 ± 1.23 μg/100 g, while for Simmental it was around 2.99 ± 0.88 μg/100 g. In the milk mixture, the mean folic acid level was 3.13 ± 1.07 μg/100 g. There was no statistical difference between breeds in terms of folic acid levels in cow's milk. It was concluded that milk is not a sufficient source to meet the daily folic acid needs of adults in Turkey.

Keywords: Dairy cattle breeds, folic acid, raw milk