This report of the American Dairy Science Association Committee on the Nomenclature, Classification, and Methodology of Milk Proteins reviews changes in the nomenclature of milk proteins necessitated by recent advances of our knowledge of milk proteins. Identification of major caseins and whey proteins continues to be based upon their primary structures. Nomenclature of the immunoglobulins consistent with new international standards has been developed, and all bovine immunoglobulins have been characterized at the molecular level. Other significant findings related to nomenclature and protein methodology are elucidation of several new genetic variants of the major milk proteins, establishment by sequencing techniques and sequence alignment of the bovine caseins and whey proteins as the reference point for the nomenclature of all homologous milk proteins, completion of crystallographic studies for major whey proteins, and advances in the study of lactoferrin, allowing it to be added to the list of fully characterized milk proteins.

Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis methods were used to phenotype caseins for 2045 cows and milk serum proteins for 3870 cows distributed in 63 Quebec dairy herds. Frequencies were: alpha s1-casein A .003, alpha s1-casein B .970, alpha s1-casein C .027; beta-casein A1 .561, beta-casein A2 .421, beta-casein A3 .011, beta-casein B .007; kappa-casein A .744, kappa-casein B .256; beta-lactoglobulin A .387, beta-lactoglobulin B .613; alpha-lactalbumin B 1.00. Overall unadjusted means for 305-day production in first lactation were: 5530 +/- 26.6 kg, 197 +/- 1.0 kg, 172 +/- 1.0 kg, 3.58 +/- .009, 3.12 +/- .009 for milk yield, fat yield, protein yield, fat percentage, and protein percentage for 1687 cows for casein systems. Similar data for 2906 cows phenotyped for milk serum proteins were: 5412 +/- 20.6 kg, 193 +/- .8 kg, 170 +/- .7 kg, 3.57 +/- .007, and 3.13 +/- 007. Least squares analysis of variance showed that herd location, month of calving, age of cow at first calving, and protein variants had significant effects on production traits. alpha s1-Casein B and beta-casein A phenotypes were associated with higher milk, fat, and protein yields than other variants in the two casein systems. Milk from kappa-casein BB and beta-lactoglobulin AA phenotypes contained .13 and .05% more protein than the AA and BB phenotypes with the AB phenotype intermediate.

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