Bovine Lactoferrin Quantification in Dairy Products by a Simple Immunoaffinity Magnetic Purification Method Coupled with High-Performance Liquid Chromatography with Fluorescence Detection

This study described a simple, specific, and sensitive method using immunoaffinity magnetic purification coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography-fluorescence (HPLC-FL) detection for determination of bovine lactoferrin (bLf) in dairy products. BLf was selectively extracted from dairy products using immunoaffinity beads and then detected by HPLC-FL with its intrinsic fluorescence. During the analysis, standard solutions of bLf were pretreated with Tween 20, an anti-adsorptive agent, for blocking the nonspecific binding of bLf to polypropylene tubes. The calibration curve was linear over the range of 0.8-30 μg mL-1. The validated method was successfully applied to measure bLf at the intact level in dairy products.