The production of A2 milk and its use in dairy products processing are driven by potential health benefits related to the absence or reduced release of β-casomorphin-7, an opioid peptide generated from β-casein hydrolysis during digestion. Although the release of higher concentrations of β-casomorphin-7 has been consistently reported following the digestion of isolated A1 β-casein and milk containing A1 β-casein, the impact of complex dairy matrices on this peptide release remains underexplored. This study evaluated the peptide profiles of yogurts produced from milks with different β-casein genotypes (A1A2 and A2A2) during in vitro gastrointestinal digestion. The release of β-casomorphin-7 was observed in both products' digestion, but differences in peptide profiles were observed along the β-casein sequence, extending beyond the site of the A1/A2 amino acid substitution.
Firmino et al. (2026) studied this question.