Introduction

Milk is considered an ideal food as it contains most of the

constituents of our diet. It is a rich source of proteins and fats. It also
contains calcium and phosphorus in sufficient quantity. Therefore,
milk is considered to be an important diet for the growing children,
and pregnant and lactating women. The milk of buffalo, cow and goat
are commonly used for human consumption . Milk is slightly heavier
than water (specific gravity = 1.035) and has a slightly acidic pH (pH
= 6.7). The various constituents of milk and their percentage is given
in the graph below.

Various constitutions of milk

100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0

Various constitutions of
milk

Milk Proteins

 There are several types of proteins in milk.

The major milk proteins are unique to milk.
- not found in any other tissue
Milk proteins, particularly caseins, have an
appropriate amino acid composition for growth
and development of the young.
Other proteins in milk include an array of
enzymes, proteins involved in transporting
nutrients, proteins involved in disease resistance
(antibodies and others), growth factors, etc.

The total protein component of milk is composed of

numerous specific proteins. The primary group of milk
proteins are the caseins. There are 3 or 4 caseins in
the milk of most species; the different caseins are
distinct molecules but are similar in structure. All
other proteins found in milk are grouped together
under the name of whey proteins. The major whey
proteins in cow milk are beta-lactoglobulin and alpha-

lactalbumin.
The major milk proteins, including the caseins, lactoglobulin and a-lactalbumin, are synthesized in the
mammary epithelial cells and are only produced by
the mammary gland. The immunoglobulin and serum
albumin in milk are not synthesized by the epithelial
cells. Instead, they are absorbed from the blood (both
serum albumin and the immunoglobulins). An
exception to this is that a limited amount of
immunoglobulin is synthesized by lymphocytes which
reside in the mammary tissue (called plasma cells).
These latter cells provide the mammary gland with
local immunity.
Caseins have an appropriate amino acid composition
that is important for growth and development of the
nursing young. This high quality protein in cow milk is
one of the key reasons why milk is such an important
human food.
Caseins are highly digestible in the intestine and are a
high quality source of amino acids. some of the intact
protein may stimulate a localized intestinal or a
systemic immune response. This is sometimes
referred to as milk protein allergy and is most often
thought to be caused by -lactoglobulin. Milk protein
allergy is only one type of food protein allergy.
Caseins is composed of several similar proteins which
form a multi-molecular, granular structure called
a casein micelle. In addition to casein molecules, the
casein micelle contains water and salts (mainly
calcium and phosphorous). Some enzymes are
associated with casein micelles, too. The micellar
structure of casein in milk is an important part of the
mode of digestion of milk in the stomach and
intestine, the basis for many of the milk products
industries (such as the cheese industry), and the basis

for our ability to easily separate some proteins and

other components from cow milk. Casein is one of the
most abundant organic components of milk, in
addition to the lactose and milk fat. Individual
molecules of casein alone are not very soluble in the
aqueous environment of milk. However, the casein
micelle granules are maintained as a colloidal
suspension in milk. If the micellar structure is
disturbed, the micelles may come apart and the
casein may come out of solution, forming the
gelatinous material of thecurd. This is part of the basis
for formation of all non-fluid milk products like cheese.

A couple of types of
Cheddar cheese,
with a cheese lover.

Centrifugation of the skim milk in an ultracentrifuge

(usually about 50,000 x g or greater) results in
pelleting of the casein and in a supernatant
called whey (also sometimes called the serum
phase of milk) which contains the water, lactose and
soluble non-casein proteins. Once casein is removed,
then by definition every other protein left in the milk
preparation is a whey protein.
Casein molecules can also be separated from the
whey by precipitation of the casein with acid (similar
to what happens in the stomach when milk is
consumed) or by disrupting the micellar structure by
partial hydrolysis of the protein molecules with acid
precipitation and enzymatic hydrolysis of casein are
the foundation of the bacterial cultures are used to
establish the conditions for lowered pH and secretion
of proteolytic enzymes which form the different types

of cheese.
Because the casein
micelle is in suspension, it
can be separated from
the rest of milk by
centrifugation at a very
high speed. Generally the
milk is first defatted
(the cream is removed)
from whole milk by low
speed centrifugation (at
about 5,000 to 10,000 x
g), resulting in the cream
layer at the top, the
aqueous supernatant, and
a small pellet of
leukocytes and other
debris. The aqueous
supernatant is the skim
milk.

Caseins

Casein is a group name for the dominant class of proteins in milk.

Caseins are present in all animal milk, including human milk. In cow's
milk nearly 80% of the proteins are caseins, or about 26 g/litre of
milk.
Caseins are divided in four sub-groups -, s2-, - and -casein. All
four are very heterogeneous and consist each of 2-8 different genetic
variants. These variants differ from each other only by a few amino
acids. a- and - caseins have in common that amino acids are
esterified to phosphoric acid. This phosphoric acid binds calcium
(which are abundant in milk) to form bonds between and within
molecules.
This makes that caseins easily form polymers containing several
identical or different types of caseins.

Whey proteins

Whey protein is the name commonly applied to milk serum

proteins, but technically only contains the proteins present in

whey, obtained during cheese making. If the casein is

removed from skimmed milk by addition of mineral acid,
there remains in solution a group of proteins which are called
milk serum proteins. These are very similar to true' whey
proteins, hence the common name.
Whey proteins form approximately 20% of the protein fraction
in milk.

Types Of Whey Proteins

The whey proteins are very soluble and can be separated into
the following groups:
-lactalbumin
-lactoglobulin
Blood Serum Albumin
Immunoglobulins
Miscellaneous proteins and polypeptides

Whey proteins in general, and a-lactalbumin in particular,

have very high nutritional values. Their amino acid
composition is very close to that which is regarded as a
biological optimum. Whey protein derivatives are widely used
in the food industry.

Milk Proteins : Chemical Properties

The most important reactions of the milk proteins are those which
involve destabilization of the casein micelles.
As we previously mentioned, reactions can occur within casein
micelles as the pH is reduced.
As the pH if milk is reduced, the native micellar structure
disintegrates. At the isoelectric point
of casein, (the pH at which casein carries no net electrical charge - a
pH of 4.6), the casein
precipitates out of solution, along with any heat-denatured whey. This
reaction may be
reversed as the pH is increased, but native form of the micelle is not
recovered.

Milk Protein Concentrate

Milk protein concentrate (MPC) is any type of concentrated

milk product that contains 4090% milk protein. The United
States officially defines MPC as any complete milk protein
(casein plus lactalbumin) concentrate that is 40 percent or
more protein by weight. In addition to ultrafiltered
milk products, the MPC classification includes concentrates
made through other processes, such as blending nonfat dry
milk with highly concentrated proteins, such as casein.

Transgenic Cows

AgResearchs first transgenic cows had extra bovine (cow) kappa

casein genes inserted in their genome. This resulted in increased
kappa casein in their milk as the transgenic cow had their 2 naturally
occurring kappa casein genes along with the inserted kappa
casein gene(s).
This research was the first proof that transgenic technology could be
used to modify milk composition in cows. Previous research by other
groups overseas had focused on using transgenic cows to produce
therapeutic proteins.
In 1997, the fisrt transgenic cow ,Rosie, produced human protein
enriched milk (2.4 grams per litre). This milk was more nutritionally a
more balanced product for human babies than natural cows milk.

Uses of modified milk

The research proved to the scientists that transgenic technologies

could be used to alter milk composition in cows. In the future,
modified milk from transgenic cows could be used to:

benefit animal health, for example, by improving growth and

survival of calves

prevent animal diseases, such as mastitis

make milk with human health benefits

assist milk processing into dairy products.

Future of modified milk

Milk products from transgenic animals are not allowed to enter the
animal or human food supply here or overseas. The consumers are
wary of the use of transgenic technologies in either animals or
plants for food production, though they tend to be more accepting
of these technologies when they produce therapeutic proteins for
treatment of disease.