Food Science student who found his passion in A2 milk controversy receives internationally recognised awards

Teagasc and Victoria University third-year doctoral student Davor Daniloski won the prestigious International Dairy Federation oral presentation Award for 2022. Mr. Daniloski was presented with the award at the 7th Symposium on Science and Technology of Fermented Milk.

The award is awarded quadrennially to a researcher in the area of fermented dairy products and was sponsored by the Chr. Hansen, Denmark.

Academia, research and industrial personnel have recently been debating the impact of conventional and A2 milks on the technological properties of their counterpart dairy products. Are they really that different?

One type of casein, β-casein, comes in two nearly identical forms, the A1 and the A2. Originally all bovine milk started with the β-casein A2 protein only. Over time, β-casein A1 protein developed, thus this genetic variation has resulted in a mixed herd. As with all proteins, β-casein is made up of a long chain of amino acids, and of the 209 amino acids in β-casein, the A1 and A2 types possess 208 in common. This tiny difference postulated that when we use A2 milk for production of some of dairy products, such as yoghurt or cheese, the gel is not strong and might be unfavourable for the dairy sector. On the other hand, its application may prove beneficial in scenarios when softer acid curd formation is required, such as for people with milk digestibility issues.

“We published a comprehensive research and review papers which explain the importance of β-caseins on the structure and functionality of micellar casein and acidified milk gels. The aim of these studies was not only to answer the possible impacts of β-casein genotype on acid gelation but to also address the links between β-casein and the other milk casein fractions, particularly, k-casein. We know that numerous companies, have been involved in trying to overcome issues associated with milk coagulation for a long time,” said Mr Daniloski.

Davor's research employed an acidulant to crosslink the milk proteins. Published in Elseviers’ Food Hydrocolloids journal very recently, the study found that the acidification of A2/A2 milk resulted in lower viscosity, impaired gelation properties, discontinuous branching network with coarse aggregates. The work addressed key concerns associated with techno-functional properties of β-casein genotype, while maintaining protein structure and lending an insight into caseins interactions.

Furthermore, last week Davor has received the Best Student oral presentation second prize on the 50th Food Science and Technology annual Conference organised by the University College Cork and the Institute of Food Science and Technology of Ireland (IFSTI). He was presented with the award by Declan Troy, President of IFSTI and Dr. Joe P. Kerry, Professor at UCC.

“Assessing the effects of milk protein genetic variants on the functionality of milk products, i.e., cheese, yogurts, infant milk formulae, could mean more tailored nutrition or more specific processablity for certain milk-based foods. I am delighted to see one of our WalshScholar students, in the case of Davor Daniloski, excel in this area” said Dr. Noel McCarthy, Teagasc.

This work is funded by Teagasc - the Agriculture and Food Development Authority (Walsh Scholarship Programme, Ireland), and the Victoria University International Postgraduate Research Scholarship on a four-year strategic partnership.