Advancements in nutritional composition of milk and species identification

Milk product market is currently experiencing profound diversification, marked by an increasing presence of specialty milk and dairy products alongside traditional cow milk. These specialty varieties include yak, sheep, buffalo, and goat milk. Given their limited availability, these specialty milks often command higher prices than cow milk, rendering them susceptible to adulteration through substitution with the latter. Such fraudulent practices result in significant economic damage and pose risks to public health. Consequently, numerous identification methods have been devised to trace the origin of dairy products. Although the prevailing methods predominantly focus on analyzing the nutrient composition of these products, this review aims to explore more cost-effective, sensitive, accurate, and efficient techniques. This endeavor begins with a comprehensive analysis of the common nutrients found in different dairy sources available on the market. Subsequently, this study elucidates various techniques employed for adulterating milk sources, with a specific emphasis on targeting these nutrients. Furthermore, a systematic comparative analysis was performed to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the diverse detection methods. This review provides a theoretical framework essential for the subsequent development of detection technologies for milk source identification.