Journal or Publishing Institution: Theriogenology
Study: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17052749
Author(s): Laible, G., Brophy, B., Knighton, D. and Wells, D.N.
Article Type: Peer Reviewed Study
Record ID: 1346
Abstract: Cloning technology is an emerging biotechnological tool that could provide commercial opportunities for livestock agriculture. However, the process is very inefficient and the molecular events underlying the technology are poorly understood. The resulting uncertainties are causing concerns regarding the safety of food products derived from cloned livestock. There are similar concerns for livestock produced by biotechnologies which enable the purposeful introduction of genetic modifications. To increase the knowledge about food products from animals generated by these modern biotechnologies, we assessed compositional differences associated with milk and cheese derived from cloned and transgenic cows. Based on gross composition, fatty acid and amino acid profiles and mineral and vitamin contents, milk produced by clones and conventional cattle were essentially similar and consistent with reference values from dairy cows farmed in the same region under similar conditions. Whereas colostrum produced by transgenic cows with additional casein genes had similar IgG secretion levels and kinetics to control cows, milk from the transgenic cows had a distinct yellow appearance, in contrast to the white color of milk from control cows. Processing of milk into cheese resulted in differences in the gross composition and amino acid profiles; ‘transgenic’ cheese had lower fat and higher salt contents and small but characteristic differences in the amino acid profile compared to control cheese.
Keywords: Nuclear transfer, Bovine, Transgenic, Milk composition, Cheese; Animals, Cattle, Cloning, Consumer Product Safety, Dairy Products, Fatty Acids, Female, Milk, Milk Proteins; Dairy Cows, Vitamin Content, Transgenic Animals, Mineral content, Transgenes, Clones, Casein
Citation: Laible, G., Brophy, B., Knighton, D. and Wells, D.N., 2007. Compositional analysis of dairy products derived from clones and cloned transgenic cattle. Theriogenology, 67(1), pp.166-177.
