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Abstract
Sustained profitability in dairy production requires continuous improvements in milk yield and composition, traits that are strongly influenced by underlying genetic factors. Polymorphisms in the milk protein genes β-lactoglobulin (β-Lg) and κ-casein (κ-Cn) have been associated with variation in milk production, composition, and technological properties across dairy breeds. This study applied polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) analysis to characterize βLg and κCn gene variants in Jersey (JE), crossbred (XX), and Creole (CR) dairy cattle in Panama. Genotypic and allelic variation was evaluated using a convenience sample of 351 blood samples collected between 2014 and 2015 (JE, n = 230; XX, n = 90; CR, n = 26). Although the sampling strategy does not support populationlevel inference, it is suitable for assessing the feasibility of PCRRFLP and conducting an exploratory characterization of genetic variability. Amplification success was 98.6% for βLg and 76.6% for κCn. At the βLg locus, allele A predominated in JE (0.55) and CR (0.52) cattle, whereas allele B was more frequent in XX cattle (0.73). At the κCn locus, allele B predominated across all groups. Overall, PCRRFLP proved to be a practical and accessible method for detecting variations in milk protein genes, supporting its application in future populationbased studies under Panamanian production conditions.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Anabel Argelis García, Jenyfer Pérez García, Dilcia Sambrano, Fermín Acosta, César Edwards, José Torres, Diomedes Trejos, Amador Goodridge, Cecilia Escobar