Good moos! Cows produce low-fat milk
It’s high in omega-3 fatty acids, makes spreadable butter
MSNBC staff and news service reports
Updated: 2:05 p.m. ET May 29, 2007

WELLINGTON, New Zealand - Scientists are breeding a herd of cows that produce lower-fat milk after the chance discovery of a natural gene mutation in one animal.

Milk from the cows is also high in health-boosting omega-3 fatty acids and makes butter that spreads as easily as margarine even when chilled, the New Zealand-based biotechnology company Vialactia said Monday.

Scientists discovered a cow, later named Marge by researchers, carrying the mutant gene in a dairy herd they were testing in 2001, Vialactia chief scientist Russell Snell said.

Vialactia, a subsidiary of the Fonterra Cooperative Group, one of the world's largest milk companies, bought the cow for $218 (300 New Zealand dollars) and moved it to a research site.

While she looked like any other Friesian cow, testing revealed that Marge's milk contained about 1 percent fat, compared with about 3.5 percent for whole milk. Fonterra said that products made from the milk "maintain the positive taste with other desirable benefits," and Snell said the milk contained normal levels of protein.

Offspring from the cow also produce low-fat milk, showing that the genetic trait is dominant, Snell said.

Scientists have yet to isolate the exact chemical pathway responsible for the naturally produced low-fat milk, Snell said.

"Every now and then nature throws up these sorts of things, and it was simply a case of us being in the right place at the right time," he said.

A research report on the genetic twist is due to appear in the British journal Chemistry & Industry. The company expects the first commercial herd of cows supplying natural low-fat milk and spreadable butter for the market by 2011.

This report includes information from The Associated Press and MSNBC.com.
© 2007 MSNBC Interactive

URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18917406/

Mutant cows does not sound like something that we need.

They can make 1% fat milk from any cow milk.

The "butter fat" content of milk is the money maker. For years they were breeding to increase the butter fat in the milk. AND as Samuel says, you can make 1% fat milk easily. In fact, I think you will find that all dairies separate ALL incoming milk into cream and milk. Then add back enough cream so they can meet the government standard for "whole milk".

That is the stupidest thing ever! Haven't they noticed that cream is more expensive than skimmed milk, inversely proportional to fat content? Why would any producer want to deprive himself of revenue by having cows not produce fat in the first place?

What will be the effect on a calf being fed skimmed milk? Cows' milk is made for calves, just the right amount of fat for them, we humans just happen to like drinking it when we can. Without calves there will be no more milk cattle, undernourished calves will not thrive and will be useless for either meat or milking. And without the cream where will our butter and cheese come from? Are they thinking of phasing that out too. Next step, human breast milk to be genetically engineered to be low fat and cholesterol free?

Mutant genes are perfectly natural. That's why they're so excited!

I don't know about on your side of the globe, but here in Aust/NZ the government has recently (like in the last few years) changed the rules on this. Now, they pay for milk based on pure quantity, not cream content. So this means the high creaming cows that produce a smaller amount of milk are being traded in for lower creaming cows that produce a great quantity. Something like swapping the black and white cows for the brown ones??

I'm not a dairy farmer but my friend and her family are and that's how I know about the change of rule.

Probably stems from the low fat propaganda....


People go through litres and litres of milk a day (my parents buy a 2-3lt bottle maybe every second day!), this is inversely proportional to the number of little 200ml tubs of full fat cream are sold I am sure.


The article stated that "Marge"s offspring also produce lower fat milk - so she's already mothered calves. From that, I would think if undernourishment is a factor, it must have been easily rectified in their testing process. Either that or it made no difference whatsoever. This is a naturally occuring gene mutation after all.

And if I can refer to Larry again - he said for years they have been breeding to increase butter fat cows. So maybe there are more lower fat milking cows around but they have been largely bred out? Sounds just as natural to me.

Just my two cents.

e

Well, exactly! As long as they're selling this milk, they might as well sell the cream they've extracted to make milk 1 or 2 % fat. I'm sure that's an important part of their revenue, mainly from half and half I guess.