Worldwide Research Trends on Milk Containing Only A2 β-Casein: A Bibliometric Study.

Abstract

Simple SummaryA1 β-casein has been correlated with adverse health outcomes, and, as a consequence, milk containing only A2 β-casein has emerged on the market. There has been a relevant increase in publications in this area since 2010. Food Science Technology and Agriculture were the main research areas of this topic. The term β-casomorphin was the most frequently used. The USA, New Zealand, and Australia were the most productive countries, though the most productive research institutions were, in absolute terms, from India, France, and Germany. The majority of the most cited studies that refer to A2 β-casein and health were reviews, and a few clinical trials have also been published.The protein fraction of β-casein may play a key role in the manifestation of a new intolerance: milk protein intolerance. The most common forms of β-casein among dairy cattle breeds are A1 and A2 β-casein. During gastrointestinal digestion of A1 β-casein, an opioid called peptide β-casomorphin-7 (BCM-7) is more frequently released, which can lead to adverse health outcomes. For that reason, novel products labelled as “A2 milk” or “A1-free dairy products” have appeared on the market. In this context, a bibliometric analysis on A2 β-casein research was carried out through the Web of Science (WoS) database. The main objective of this work was to provide an overview of the state of the art in the field of β-casein A2 by analyzing the number of publications per year, trends in thematic content, the most frequently used terms, and the most important institutions and countries in the field. This bibliometric study showed that a greater effort is needed to determine the possible implications of this novel product for human health and the market.