Genetic polymorphism of kappa casein and casein micelle size in the Bulgarian Rhodopean cattle breed

The present study aimed to compare the size of casein micelle in cow milk sample in function of kappa casein (CSN3) genetic polymorphism. Sixteen cows from Bulgarian Rhodopean cattle breed were genotyped by PCR-RFLP analysis. Milk samples from the three found CSN3 genotypes (AB, AA and BB) were employed for the determination of casein micelles size by Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS). The results showed differences in the size and polydispersity of the casein micelles between the milks of cows with different genotypes. Hydrodynamic radii of micelles at a scattering angle of 90 °C varied from 80 to 120 nm and polydispersity varied from 0.15 to 0.37. In conclusion casein micelle size of CSN3 AA cows (~ 120 nm) exceed with about 60% cows with AB (~ 80 nm) and BB genotype (~ 70 nm). These results could be useful for improving technological properties of the milk

Agricultural Academy

Abstract NEOV, B., D. TEOFANOVA, L. ZAGORCHEV, G. RADOSLAVOV and P. HRISTOV, 2013. Mi lk protein polymorphism in Bulgarian grey cattle population. Bulg. J. Agric. Sci., Supplement 2, Application of gene specifi c molecular markers in genotyping and genetic identifi cation is of an essential signifi cance for preserving genetic diversity. The aim of the present research is to reveal the genotype profi le of native Bulgarian Grey cattle population with respect to lactoprotein genes: kappa-casein and αS1-casein through PCR-RFLP analysis. The results for kappa-casein locus show superiority of heterozygous AB genotype and prevalence of the uncommon B allele. Analysis of the polymorphism of alfaS1-casein gene displays high frequency of heterozygous BC genotype and C allele of gene. Genetic profi le of the breed is compared to other cattle populations to establish the position of the breed about other European cattle breeds genetic diversity. It may be concluded that Bulgarian grey cow is with specifi c genotype profi le similar to other cattle population in South-Eastern Europe

Solid State Ionics: from Michael Faraday to green energy—the European dimension

Solid State Ionics has its roots essentially in Europe. First foundations were laid by Michael Faraday who discovered the solid electrolytes Ag2S and PbF2 and coined terms such as cation and anion, electrode and electrolyte. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, the main lines of development toward Solid State Ionics, pursued in Europe, concerned the linear laws of transport, structural analysis, disorder and entropy and the electrochemical storage and conversion of energy. Fundamental contributions were then made by Walther Nernst, who derived the Nernst equation and detected ionic conduction in heterovalently doped zirconia, which he utilized in his Nernst lamp. Another big step forward was the discovery of the extraordinary properties of alpha silver iodide in 1914. In the late 1920s and early 1930s, the concept of point defects was established by Yakov Il'ich Frenkel, Walter Schottky and Carl Wagner, including the development of point-defect thermodynamics by Schottky and Wagner. In terms of point defects, ionic (and electronic) transport in ionic crystals became easy to visualize. In an 'evolving scheme of materials science', point disorder precedes structural disorder, as displayed by the AgI-type solid electrolytes (and other ionic crystals), by ion-conducting glasses, polymer electrolytes and nano-composites. During the last few decades, much progress has been made in finding and investigating novel solid electrolytes and in using them for the preservation of our environment, in particular in advanced solid state battery systems, fuel cells and sensors. Since 1972, international conferences have been held in the field of Solid State Ionics, and the International Society for Solid State Ionics was founded at one of them, held at Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, in 1987