Genetically modified cows make milk safer

New Zealand scientists apply genetic engineering to produce hypoallergenic cow's milk in children.

About 3% of babies are allergic to cow's milk in the first year of life. The allergenic culprit is beta-lactoglobulin, a protein that exists in cow's milk but is not part of human milk. So scientists from the Agricultural Research Institute and Waikato University in New Zealand want to make cow's milk without beta-lactoglobulin, the BBC reports.

Some genes control the production of beta-lactoglobulin,
A protein can cause allergies in humans.

Cows produce beta-lactoglobulin by some genes. So the team implanted some other genes to prevent the production of this allergenic protein. The first genetically modified cow gave birth to a tailless calf. However, scientists claim that no tail is not a result of genetic modification. For calves to produce pre-mature milk, the team used hormones.

"We do not see beta-lactoglobulin in all milk samples from cows genetically modified , " the team said.

Professor Keith Campbell, an expert at the University of Nottingham, said the team in New Zealand had to check to see how long the mutant genes could last.

"They have to prove that non-allergenic milk will be created throughout the life of the cow and that trait will be passed down through generations," Campbell said.

Campbell said consumers should not worry about the risk of poisoning from genetically modified cow's milk.

"If cow's milk changes the poison gene, the cows will surely die," he explained.