Invited review: Authentication of milk by direct and indirect analysis of triacylglycerol molecular species

Milk, milk-based products, and milk derivatives represent an important group of food commodities, with high nutritional value and widely consumed by large segment of consumers, including pregnant women, newborns, children, and the elderly. Food authentication is a rapidly growing field because of increasing consumer awareness regarding food quality and safety. This review attempts to critically summarize the status of direct and indirect analysis of the molecular species of triacylglycerols (TAG) used to assess the authenticity of milk. Identification and quantification of TAG molecular species in milk fat can be accurately performed even though analytical approaches focused on fraud evaluation should be developed. Recent analytical breakthroughs and novel techniques are discussed, along with their applications in milk authentication.