Milk from genetically engineered cows, which is similar to human breast milk, may hit shelves of Chinese shops in about two years, China’s Xinhua news agency said on Friday.
China’s agriculture ministry has given green light to safety tests of the milk, which scientists claim contains most of the nutrients as in human breast milk, including proteins lactalbumin, lactoferrin, and lysozume.
“Such proteins can be easily absorbed by the human body and can boost the immune system, which is why breastfeeding is always better than using bovine milk and infant formula,” said Li Ning, a leading biotechnologist at China Agricultural University.
According to the scientist, sales of lactoferrin only may fetch up to $5 billion worldwide each year.
“The milk pumped out by our cattle will be a cheap source for such rare proteins, which are precious components hailed by the pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and food industries,” he said.
The scientist added that the milk will not perfectly substitute for breast milk, as it lacks antibodies and proteins that are vital for babies’ intelligence.
Scientists claim that genetically modified milk will pose no health threat. The country’s sanitary watchdog has already gave its approval to the project, which states that the milk “proved more healthy than the conventional one.”
BEIJING, April 15 (RIA Novosti)