Molecular characterization and genetic variability of Alpha Casein gene, CSN1S1 in Bikaneri camel (Camelus dromedarius) milk

Camel milk is an important protein source for the nomadic communities living in the arid lands of the world, In recent years there has been an increase in consumption of non-bovine milk as an alternative protein source for humans. Camel milk seems to be containing larger amount of total proteins, such as lactoferrin and immunoglobulins as compared to the cow milk, which may be responsible for the better antimicrobial properties. The casein fraction of milk proteins consists of four caseins, namely αs1-casein, αs2-casein, β-casein, and K-casein. Casein genetic polymorphisms are important due to their effectson quantitativetraitsand technological properties of milk. Thiswork was designed to studyoccurrence of polymorphism of α-casein in native Bikaneri camel (Camelus dromedarius) raw milk sample and to characterize these variants on molecular level.