BETA-CASOMORPHIN (BOVINE)

Description

Casomorphins are peptides formed by the enzymatic breakdown of the milk protein casein during digestion. The peptides typically contain from three to eight amino acids.
Casein in milk produced by mammals occurs in three main forms: α, β, and κ. Cows’ milk contains only β-casein (β-CN), which occurs in several genetic variants; the most predominant are A1 and A2. The casomorphins derived from β-CN also carry the β designation and are further labeled by the number of amino acids they contain.
Bovine β-casomorphin 7 (BCM-7) is released by the A1 form of β-CN during digestion or cheese making, but not by A2. Three of its seven amino acids are proline. (See the abbreviation table for the names of all of the amino acids.) According to a 2022 article by Cristina Lamberti and colleagues at the Institute of Sciences of Food Production (Bari, Italy), “BCM-7 is a known μ-opioid receptor agonist that may influence the gastrointestinal physiology directly and may also exert effects elsewhere in the body, such as on the cardiovascular, neurological, and endocrine systems.”
Lamberti et al. sought to revise earlier reviews on BCM-7 ingestion with a focus on its effect on health-related outcomes. Their principal conclusion was “that A2 β-CN exerts beneficial effects at the gastrointestinal level compared with A1 β-CN, but that there is no evidence of A1 β-CN having negative effects on human health” resulting from the release of BCM-7.
BCM-7 can be isolated as a powder. It is hygroscopic and must be protected from light; and it should be stored at –20 °C.