Milk Mix‑Up: Spotting Coconut in Cow’s Milk

A new test can quickly find coconut milk hidden in dairy.

The method uses a special light that shows how the two drinks glow differently.

Scientists shine three colors of light on milk samples and record their glow patterns.

They found that two natural dyes – one from tryptophan and another from riboflavin – shine less as coconut milk is added.

These dyes become reliable clues that the milk has been mixed.

To predict how much coconut is present, the team built two types of computer models.

• Linear model: A simple linear approach that looks at single glow colors.
• Neural network: Treats the whole glow picture as an image.

The image‑based model performed best, guessing the coconut level with almost perfect accuracy and a very low error rate.

It also works fast and does not damage the milk sample, making it useful for routine checks.