A2 milk

A2 milk is cow's milk whose beta-casein protein consists almost entirely of the A2 variant, unlike A1 milk, which is more common in much of the Western dairy herd. It is a registered trademark licensed to producers in countries including New Zealand, Australia, Chile and Spain.

History

Researchers began examining the difference between the A1 and A2 forms of beta-casein in the early 1990s, in New Zealand, through epidemiological studies and animal experiments that linked A1 to certain chronic diseases. The idea quickly drew attention from the media and from entrepreneurs. In 2000, the company that developed a genetic test to identify cows producing A2 milk was founded in New Zealand.

The molecular difference is minimal: a single amino acid among the 209 that make up the protein, a proline at position 67 in A2 instead of a histidine in A1. Genetic studies suggest the mutation appeared between 5,000 and 10,000 years ago, as cattle spread north into Europe, and then spread through Western herds through breeding. Today the brand is licensed in several countries, and in Spain it is found mainly in Galicia under the Deleite name.

Culture

A2 milk is presented as an alternative for people looking for a cow's milk different from the usual kind, and much of its appeal depends on the commercial message that accompanies it. The health claims linked to the brand have been questioned, and in New Zealand the law requires scientific support for any health claim, which led the company to amend some of its promotional material. Buffalo, sheep, goat and camel milk also contain mostly A2 beta-casein, so the term is applied to them as well. Its share of consumption remains small, although the name is now recognisable in the countries where it is sold.

Trivia