The State-run Odisha State Cooperative Milk Producers’ Federation (Omfed) is contemplating adding desi cow milk to its existing range of dairy products. The new product is likely to hit the market in the next six months.
The Omfed is presently producing milk from a combination of Shankar and desi breed cows, which is a mixture of A1 and A2 type beta-casein proteins.
According to an estimate, there are about 1.5 crore cows in Odisha of which 11 per cent are of the Shankar breed and the rest 89 per cent are desi. Jersey and Holstein belong to the Shankar breed. Holstein cow’s milk contains fat varying from 3 per cent to 3.5 per cent and Jersey cow’s milk contains 4 per cent fat. However, desi cow’s milk contains a slightly higher fat percentage of up to 5 per cent.
“Milk is broadly categorised into two types -- A1 and A2. While the Shankar breed cow produces A1 milk, the pure Indian breed desi cow produces A2 milk.
A recent research conducted in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand suggests that prolonged intake of A1 milk causes health hazards, including Type 1 diabetes, autism, heart disease, schizophrenia, endocrine dysfunctions, digestive distress and other aggravating neurological disorders. However, it is found that A2 milk is safer for consumption, according to experts at the Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT).
Notably, the pricing of the milk is done as per the fat content in it. In view of this, the desi cow milk is healthy for humans but is comparatively costly.
According to Commissioner-cum-Secretary Fisheries & Animal Resource Development Bishnupada Sethi, there is a proposal to sell A2 milk through the Omfed. It is being planned to separate Shankar cow milk and desi cow milk. As the availability of desi cow milk is low, the price of the milk would be slightly higher. The pricing and availability of this type of milk would be decided in a few months.
The Omfed has been procuring about 4.5 lakh litres of milk per day to produce about five lakh litres of milk and milk products with the help of nearly 3,600 milk cooperative societies spread across the State.
Research shows that A1 and A2 are digested differently. The A1 beta-casein, a mutated protein in the milk which contains Betacasomophorine-7 (BCM-7), poses health hazards. Casomorphins have opioid (narcotic) properties and are not digested well by some people. On the other hand, the A2 milk differs by one amino acid and is naturally-occurring cow milk, not a result of a technological process or genetic engineering.