Dairy R&D in SA

What is A1 and A2 milk: The difference is associated with variation in the protein composition of cow’s milk. Both A1 and A2 variants are proteins in the casein group which makes up about 80 % of the proteins. The two variants are almost identical apart from differing in one amino acid at position 67 of the polypeptide (amino acid chain): A1 has histidine whereas A2 has proline.

Heat stress is defined as an event that affects an animal’s homeostasis and health owing to a physiologically harmful heat load. Heat stress may prompt physiological dysfunction, which affects an animal’s production and reproduction capacity negatively, and causes economic losses that are estimated to be billions of dollars worldwide. Heat stress also influences a cow’s immune system which may manifest in a higher incidence of udder health problems during summertime.