Modifying the composition of milk to increase marketability

Abstract Text:

Milk is nature’s most nearly perfect food but we can improve it.  Some people may consider that dairy products should contain less saturated fatty acids which, to a point, can be accomplished by feeding unsaturated fat sources such as heated soybeans.  This will increase the proportion of unsaturated fatty acids and may allow e.g. the making of a softer butter at refrigerated temperatures without losing the desired butter flavor.  Feeding an unsaturated fat, especially when high in linoleic acid (C18:2), can also increase the proportion of the healthful fatty acid cis-9, trans-11 conjugated linoleic acid (CLA); adding a small amount of fish oil with the unsaturated fat source can increase the CLA content even more.  One must be cautious to not feed too much fish oil or other unsaturated fatty acid sources so as to cause milk fat depression via an increase in trans-10, cis-12 conjugated linoleic acid.  On the protein side, caseins are the major proteins in milk, accounting for 75 to 85% of the protein in bovine milk and are the proteins present in cheese, the main method of marketing dairy products in the USA today.  Certain caseins such as κ-casein (κ-CN), especially the BB genetic variant, are closely related to the casein content of milk, increase milk protein yield, percentage, and total cheese yield.  The genetic incidence of κ-BB-CN is 80 to 85% in Jerseys versus 3 to 4% in Holsteins.  Some Holstein milk contains a_s1-A-CN, which is related to poorer cheese yields and cheese quality. The whey proteins are some of the highest biological value proteins available.  A major marketing growth area is whey protein concentrates and isolates.  These are promoted as bodybuilding supplements used to increase dietary protein intake, often with the goal of maximizing muscle hypertrophy.  The main whey proteins are α-lactalbumin (2 to 5% of all milk proteins), which is the specifier protein in lactose synthesis, and β-lactoglobulin (7 to 10% of total protein in ruminant milk).  While a-lactalbumin is important in maximizing milk production because lactose synthesis, the major osmotic constituent of milk, is the main determinant of milk production, B-lactoglobulin is found in ruminant milks but not in the milks from some other species, and sometimes causes allergy reactions in some people.  The marketing of various milk components will become increasingly important in the future.

Keywords: milk composition, marketability