When a baby is born, the food allergies the baby may have are kind of a mystery. The only way you know you’re allergic to something is to try it, after all, and that’s not the safest way to live or eat, especially for a baby. Some 3 percent of children suffer from milk allergies, thanks to the compound beta-lactoglobulin. This is found in cow milk, not human milk, but if researchers in New Zealand have their way, this won’t be found in cow milk either. Researchers from AgResearch and the University of Waikato have developed a cow that gives high protein, low allergy milk.
“All milk samples from the transgenic calf were devoid of any detectable beta-lactoglobulin,” wrote the researchers in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The calf, named Daisy, has not been bred yet, but after being given hormones to promote milk production, scientists tested her milk and found that it was as close to hypoallergenic as milk can get. Unfortunately, Daisy was born without a tail, which researchers say may not be related to the genetic engineering done on her, but the hope is to soon create an entire herd of cows that give low allergy milk. That’s the next step: to see if the milk lasts throughout the lives of Daisy and her future offspring.
Tags: AgResearch, University 0f Waikato, New Zealand, Daisy, genetically engineered cow, low allergy milk, beta-lactoglobulin, gm., genetic modification in food animals, cow genetically engineered to create low allergy milk, food allergies, unusual animals, research, weird science, unusual health news, weird health news, allergies and milk, milk allergies, blg
