Survey of milk protein polymorphism in the "Bovina Rossa Siciliana"

The “Rossa Siciliana” is an autochthonous small Sicilian dairy cattle population, accounting for 5-7,000 individuals.This breed is characterized by high ability to live on poor pasture lands, moderate milk production, and traditionally linked to cheese production. Aim of this work was to investigate milk protein polymorphisms in this population. A total of 62 individual milk samples were collected from 19 extensive farms spread in the “Parco dei Nebrodi” area (Messina). All samples were analyzed by isoelectrofocusing (IEF) with pH range 2.5-6. High variability was found at the CSN1S1, CSN2, CSN3, LGB and LALBA loci, while the CSN1S2 locus was monomorphic for the A allele. The allele frequen…