Molecular Genetics and Dairy Foods

Molecular genetics (MG) is a scientific discipline concerned with the structure and function of genes at the molecular level and includes the technique of genetic engineering, which can be defined as the direct manipulation of an organism's genome. MG has enormous potential to impact both within and outside the farm gate. Outside the farm gate, MG has been used to generate tailor-made bacterial cultures with many applications in the dairy food industry, including cultures with the capacity to produce copious amounts of desirable compounds such as acid and flavor compounds. MG in dairy animals has enabled scientists to endow transgenic animals with traits that could not be achieved through standard breeding strategies. For example, high-value proteins such as human lactoferrin have been expressed in transgenic cows. Inside the farm gate, MG has a huge role to play in animal breeding. Indeed, MG is being applied to identify causative mutations or linked genetic markers that give rise to differences in phenotypes (i.e., the performance of the animal as observed in the field). The end objective of this approach, as for any breeding program, is to effectively and efficiently disseminate the superior genetics into the commercial population.