A2 milk – Milk of the future?

Is my product made of A2 milk? Analysis of original milk in raw milk and dairy products

June 2020. Original and healthy food from regional sources is very much in vogue. This includes so-called A2 milk or "Urmilch" (original milk), which has become increasingly popular in recent years. In view of the growing interest in A2 milk and A2 dairy products, Eurofins offers various tests for the differentiated detection of A1 and A2 beta-caseins.

What is A2 milk?

Cow milk consists of approx. 87% water, 5% lactose, 4% milk fat, 3.5% milk protein, minerals and vitamins. The milk protein mainly consists of caseins, which in turn can be divided into alpha (α), beta (β), gamma (γ) and kappa (κ) caseins.

A2 milk is a bovine milk containing a certain form of β casein in its protein content, the so-called β casein A2 instead of the widespread A1 form of β casein.

The β casein contained in the protein content of the milk consists of a total of 209 amino acids, which for the A1 form and the A2 form only differ in the 67th position in the amino acid chain. In the A1 form of β casein, the amino acid histidine is located there, in A2 the amino acid proline is found in this position:

How is A2 milk produced?

A2 milk comes from cows with the genetic characteristic A2A2. Today it is assumed that all breeds originally carried A2 genetic material and over the years the A1 type has been developed through breeding. This is why A2 milk is often referred to as "original milk". Especially Jersey cows, Guernsey cows, cows of the Brown Swiss breed as well as part of the Simmental breed predominantly give the desired A2 milk. In Europe, today a mixture of A1 and A2 milk is usually produced.

A2 milk is not only found in cows but also in sheep, goats or buffalos.

Why do many consumers swear by the original milk?

Time and time again it is reported that many people who have problems with normal milk observe a better digestibility of A2 milk. Many consumers who reported nausea, diarrhoea and stomach ache after having consumed normal milk did not show any signs following the consumption of A2 milk. Also, lactose-intolerant people often report better tolerance of A2 milk, but so far this has not been scientifically validated. The lactose content of A2 milk is no different from that of A1 milk.

Why do more and more farmers switch to original milk / A2 milk?

The focus on original, regional and sustainable food is currently a major trend in Germany, which has a lasting effect on the shopping and eating habits of consumers. At the same time, the health aspect of nutrition is becoming increasingly important for many people. Thus, the range of trendy foods "with a feel-good factor" in the market is constantly expanding. In New Zealand, Australia and the USA, A2 milk and A2 dairy products continue to enjoy strong market growth, and in Europe too, consumption of A2 milk and dairy products is on the rise.

Due to the low milk payment price for conventional milk, more and more farmers are currently converting their herds to A2 milk. This is costly and often takes several generations of cows. By means of targeted breeding selection, the herd can gradually be converted to A2 dairy cows.

New test for A2 and A1 beta-caseins available

In the past, DNA typing of individual dairy cows was done by using blood, hair roots or tissue to determine whether a particular cow gave pure A1 milk, a mixture of A1 and A2 milk or pure A2 milk.   

Given the growing consumer interest in A2 milk and A2 dairy products, Eurofins Food & Feed Testing laboratories in Germany now offer various tests for the differentiated detection of A1 and A2 beta-caseins.

A newly developed method now offers the possibility to test all dairy products from raw milk to finished products such as homogenised and pasteurised milk, milk powder, yoghurt, cheese and butter for A1 and A2 beta caseins. The highly sensitive LC-MS/MS method used for this purpose is currently only offered by laboratories of the worldwide Eurofins network.

Depending on customer requirements, we offer two different analyses for milk and dairy products:

• a rapid, routine ELISA-based test, which is primarily intended for the analysis of tank samples or individual animals and provides semi-quantitative results;
• a new reference method based on liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), which provides a quantitative result for product specifications and batch confirmations.

Worldwide, the new highly sensitive LC-MS/MS method is currently only offered by the laboratories of the Eurofins network.^*

​Do you have questions?

For questions or other inquiries please contact your ​personal account manager or send an e-mail to our expert Annette Hufnagel.