Oligosaccharide profiles as potential biomarkers for detecting adulteration of caprine dairy products with bovine dairy products

Adulteration of caprine dairy products raises concerns among consumers. This study aimed to identify the differences in oligosaccharide profiles of caprine dairy products, including raw milk, colostrum powder, and lactose powder, and their corresponding bovine dairy products, and provide new insights for detecting adulteration of bovine dairy products in caprine dairy products. Twenty-seven oligosaccharides were detected in caprine and bovine dairy products. The principal component analysis plot of the oligosaccharide profiles clearly differentiated among the six types of dairy products. Specific oligosaccharides that were most distinctive for caprine and bovine dairy products were identified. Lacto-N-triose (LNTri) could be used as a potential biomarker for distinguishing caprine milk from bovine milk, caprine colostrum powder from bovine colostrum powder, and caprine lactose powder from bovine lactose powder. The results demonstrated that oligosaccharides could be used as biomarkers for detecting bovine dairy products in caprine dairy products, especially caprine lactose powder.