D. A. Afonina, O. V. Gorelik, K. V. Novitskaya
Ural Federal Agrarian Research Center of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Ekaterinburg, Russia
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Volume 25 No. 11
Date of paper submission: 19.08.2025, date of review: 29.09.2025, date of acceptance: 02.10.2025.
Published: 11/30/2025
Abstract. The scientific article is devoted to the study of the influence of the genetic factor (kappa casein genotype) on the quality of milk produced by Holstein cows. The relevance of the study is due to the need to improve the quality of domestic dairy products and optimize their production technologies. Milk is an important source of nutrients for humans, but the differences in composition depend on the genetics of the animal. The purpose of the study was to study the characteristics of milk composition depending on the three main genotypes of kappa casein (CSN3AA, CSN3AB, CSN3BB) with an emphasis on the content of solids, fats, proteins, lactose, mineral elements and caloric content of products. For the analysis, physico-chemical methods for evaluating milk samples obtained from animals of the three studied groups were used. Results. The main conclusions of the study are as follows. The milk of cows with the CSN3BB genotype, which contained more fat, protein, calcium and phosphorus, demonstrated the best nutritional values. This effect was expressed in increased indicators of the dry matter content, acidity and caloric content of the product. Differences in milk quality between the groups had statistically significant differences, especially in terms of fat content, casein content, and macronutrients. Despite the different effects of genotypes on the composition of milk, the products from all the studied groups met the requirements of the highest grade according to GOST 31449-2013 and are recommended for deep technological transformation, including the production of cheeses and baby foods. Thus, the study confirmed the importance of taking into account the genetic predisposition of cows when forming the diet and developing optimal livestock strategies to improve the quality characteristics of domestic milk and dairy products. The scientific novelty lies in the fact that the research on the polymorphism of the kappa-casein gene has been continued, and an assessment of the physicochemical parameters and nutritional value of cattle milk has been carried out depending on the polymorphism of the kappa-casein gene.
Keywords: kappa casein, cows, milk, milk productivity
Acknowledgements. The research was carried out within the framework of the state assignment on the topic “To study the breeding and genetic characteristics of cattle in the Ural region using biotechnological methods in order to create new breeding forms of animals with high genetic potential for milk productivity, milk quality and duration of economic use”. The authors would like to thank the staff of the Department of Animal Husbandry and Genetic Research of the Ural Research Institute of Agricultural Sciences, a branch of the Ural Federal Agrarian Research Center of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences for their help in selecting methods and conducting analyses.
For citation: Afonina D. A., Gorelik O. V., Novitskaya K. V. The influence of the kappa casein genotype on the nutritional and biological value of milk from Holstein cows. Agrarian Bulletin of the Urals. 2025; 25 (11): 1822‒1829. https://doi.org/10.32417/1997-4868-2025-25-11-1822-1829 (In Russ.)
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