Scientists in New Zealand have found cows that can produce skimmed milk naturally. If researchers can locate the genes behind it, the discovery could revolutionize the dairy industry.
Skimmed milk makes up 75 percent of the market in countries like the UK, which currently produces 14 billion liters of milk a year, according to the Milk Development Council. All but 4.4 billion liters is used to make dairy products.
Ed Komorowski, technical director at Dairy UK, told Chemistry and Industry magazine that the New Zealand approach could be used to breed cows that still produce full-fat milk but with only the unsaturated or good fats, which could swing demand back in favor of full-fat milk. High levels of saturated fat in the diet have been linked to increased risk of heart disease and stroke.
"The big thing about dairy products is taste, so this would be a way of giving the benefits of taste without the disadvantage of saturated fats," Komorowski said.
The rogue cows were discovered when a biotech company, ViaLactia, in New Zealand screened the composition of milk from its 4 million herd.
A typical pint of whole milk contains 3.5 percent saturated fat, much of which is removed to make semi-skimmed milk (1.7 percent butterfat) and skimmed (0.1 percent) and other low-fat dairy products. Though current supply and demand are balanced, the rising trend for low-fat milk could lead to a lot of wasted milk.
The New Zealand scientists also plan herds that produce milk with the properties needed to make butter that spreads straight from the fridge. They have already identified a cow, Marge, that fits the bill and say that a commercial herd could be bred by 2011. Marge's milk is low in saturated fats and high in polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats.
Spreadable butters are often made by adding plant-derived oils, which technically means the result is no longer butter, or feeding cows polyunsaturates.
Komorowski said although the lower-fat milk might be healthier, it was still uncertain how much milk the low-fat cows could produce.
The details are commercially sensitive, but Ashvin Sood, for ViaLactia, said the dairy company that owns Marge had made milk products which "maintain the positive taste with other desirable benefits."
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