One of the most exciting innovations to come out of the dairy world in the last generation is the discovery that some cows naturally produce a more digestible milk than others. It’s not lactose levels that make this milk less likely to produce symptoms like gas and bloating, it’s the type of proteins a cow has embedded in its genetic code: A2 vs. A1.
Like producers of milk, cream and yogurt, small family creameries are beginning to experiment with cheeses made solely from A2 milk. But where exactly does the A2 protein come from and what evidence is there that it is more digestible for those who are prone to stomach discomfort? We dig into the science of whether A2 cheese is the way of the future.
What is A2?
Around 30% of the protein in standard cow’s milk is made up of beta-casein from two variants, A1 and A2. A1 is the dominant type in dairy cows like Fresians and Holsteins that originated in Northern Europe while A2 dominates the milk of Jersey and Guernsey cows from the Channel Islands, as well as breeds from southern France and Africa.
In the early 1990s, researchers in New Zealand hypothesized that the A1 protein in cow’s milk might be a factor in the development of type 1 diabetes, coronary heart disease, autism, and schizophrenia. The theory didn’t pan out. No link was found between the A1 protein and non-communicable diseases. But a second theory, that dairy from cows that did not produce the A1 protein would be easier to digest than dairy that did, showed more promise.
During digestion, the A1 protein produces a peptide (BCM-7) that doctors have linked to stomach discomfort and symptoms like bloating, gas and diarrhea in some people—similar symptoms to those experienced in lactose intolerance. But the A2 protein functions differently. It has a structure comparable to human breast milk, goat’s milk, and sheep’s milk, and does not produce BCM-7 or the digestive distress that goes along with it.
Consequently, those who suffer from dairy-related stomach upset may not experience any symptoms when drinking milk or eating cheese made from cows with the dominant A2 protein. A 2020 study by researchers at Purdue University, however, suggested that dairy containing even low levels of A1 protein can still have negative effects on those who are sensitive to it. For reduced digestive discomfort, they concluded, the dairy must contain only A2 proteins.
“Each cow in a herd needs to be tested to determine what types of proteins they are producing and ensure that they produce only the A2 protein,” explains The A2 Milk Company CEO Blake Waltrip, the first company to bring A2 milk to the commercial market in 2000 in New Zealand.
A2 dairy, however, is not a magic bullet for those who are lactose intolerant. Despite containing more digestible proteins, A2 cheese and milk still have the same levels of lactose as standard cheese and milk. There is not yet enough research on A2 dairy to figure out whether those who experience discomfort when eating cheese but have not been medically diagnosed as lactose intolerant will have an easier time consuming lactose-free dairy or A2 dairy.
The cheese of the future?
It took 15 years for The A2 Milk Company to creep across the Pacific to launch in the United States. By the time it arrived, a word about the potential benefits of A2 dairy for the digestively challenged was already out. Stateside farms and creameries had already begun producing milk, yogurt, cheese, and other dairy products made from herds of Jersey and Guernsey cows with the dominant A2 gene. In California, you’ll find dairy products from Alexandre Family Farm, which is all organic, pasture-raised, and A2. Alexandre Family Farm was named a Whole Foods Market Supplier of the Year in the grocer’s new Global Regenerative Agriculture Commitment category in 2021 and is the only certified organic regenerative 100% A2 dairy producer in the US.
Cheeses from Snowville Creamery – Courtesy of Snowville Creamery
It was that same year, 2015, that Snowville Creamery in Pomeroy, Ohio transitioned to selling only A2 products, according to general manager Anna Shield. Since then, interest in their products has grown exponentially. “We regularly have people reaching out to us and saying ‘I can drink your milk,” she says. Demand for Snowville’s A2 raw milk white cheddar is so high that it has become a staple product in Midwestern-region Whole Foods stores.
The process of making A2 cheese is no different than making standard cow’s milk cheeses, says Shield. “It’s not so much the A2 [proteins] versus the A1 but what the cow is eating that makes flavor differences as well as color differences,” she explains. Because Snowville works only with milk from grass-fed cows, their cheeses have a more golden color. “Making mozzarella cheese with milk from grass-fed A2 Jersey cows took a little bit of trial and error to get the color right.”
Cheddar and other hard cheeses are among the most common A2 varieties available from mostly small-scale and family-owned creameries including Wisconsin’s Nordic Creamery and Clearview Dairy, and Virginia’s Honey Brook Farms. Other varieties though—fresh mozzarella and ricotta, cottage cheese and blue cheese, Colby and Monterey jack—are becoming increasingly common.
Almost every grocery store and “health food” store across the country now sell some form of A2 dairy from small creameries or larger operations. The A2 Milk Company is found in over 26,000 stores and major retailers like Safeway, Walmart, and Target, says Waltrip, and it’s making its way into the products of global brands. In October 2021, they announced a partnership with the Hershey Company to produce Hershey’s A2 Chocolate Milk. It will be on shelves as early as January 2022.
As the industry continues to grow, A2 cheeses are poised to become more and more accessible everywhere cheese is sold, from grocery stores to restaurants. Whether A2 dairy will eventually supplant standard cow’s milk products containing the A1 protein in the U.S., however, has yet to be seen. More research is needed to determine not only how many Americans who believe they are lactose intolerant are instead sensitive to A1 proteins, and how their digestive systems fare with cheese made from A2 cows.