Prediction: Designer Milk

In a special report commemorating the 50th anniversary of the American Chemical Society's Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, the following predictions were made:

Designer milk -- Organic milks are already available at supermarkets, but a new breed of designer milks are on the drawing board that will boost immunity, improve lactose utilization and relieve diarrhea. Advances in biotechnology have made it all possible: Got designer milk? Naturally low-fat milk -- Recent advances in biotechnology have identified a gene for milkfat synthesis that may one day allow scientists to selectively breed cows that naturally produce low-fat milk. This and other developments are moving closer to reality as researchers identify genetic markers in cows for diseases or desirable traits that will enable scientists to improve the efficiency of milk production and select for milk with specific traits. Although the development of genetically modified cows and milk products shows promise, consumer resistance to such products will remain a barrier well into the future, the researchers predict.

Milk alternatives -- Competition from nondairy materials will increase, driven by consumer demand. Already, supermarkets have been flooded with alternative soy products, from soybean milk to soy-based ice cream. These products offer options for those that are allergic to milk or concerned about dairy safety. In the pipeline: useful milk proteins produced not from cows, but from recombinant organisms, such as yeasts. Still, experts predict that milk will continue to be a viable nutrition source in the future.

Now admittedly predictions have a long shelf life, and these have yet to come true even though they date back to 2002. I found them poking through the archives at ScienceDaily.com.

I couldn't resist reprinting them for one big reason: the author of the report was named Lawrence K. Creamer.

Dairy or nondairy, I couldn't say.