Milk characterization: effect of the breed

It has previously been shown that it is possible to distinguish milks from different geographical locations and feeding diets. The 18O enrichment values measured by isotope ratio mass spectrometry appeared to be the most discriminant parameter for both the geographic origin and the diet. The aim of this study is to examine the influence of the breed of cow on the isotopic enrichments of milk water when the animals were kept in the same environment and fed on the same diet. The present results indicate that the breed of cow influences the isotopic enrichments of milk. The effect is, however, of small magnitude and unlikely to diminish the capacity of δ18O measurements to discriminate between different diets and production sites.