Milk Proteins, Health Issues and its Implications on National Livestock Breeding Policy of India

Increasing evidence supporting the correlation between bovine beta-casein and disorders in milk consumers has led to the development and popularity of A2 milk and milk products worldwide. The indigenous cattle population of India harbours the preferred A2 allele of beta casein; however, genetic improvement of this cattle population by crossbreeding with exotic breeds is spoiling the gene pool as most of the exotic breeds contain A1 allele of the gene. In this study, we aim at evaluating the status of beta-casein in the Indian dairy sector and provide a discussion of future implications to the A2 milk industry. Our results show that the genotypic frequencies of A1 and A2 genes in a sample cattle population were 0.365 and 0.635 respectively. Based on the pure nature of the A2 allele in indigenous cattle, the presence of the A1 allele was assumed to be attributable to crossbreeding with exotic cattle breeds. Current options to drift the frequency of herds towards A2 are highly limited, raising serious questions regarding breeding policies in India and the lack of availability of certified A2 semen straws. The absence of any official standards and certification procedures in the country for A2 milk and milk products aggravates the situation from a food safety perspective. The future focus of sorted sexed semen and embryo transfers by the Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries in India for dairy development should include A2 certification as an integral component. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India should define and establish standard protocols for certification of A2 milk and milk products to safeguard the rights of consumers against the potential food fraud.