The vast amount of literature on milk proteins and genes, and bioactive milk-protein derived peptides cries out for a single informatics resource to focus development of research in the food, health and medical industries. The milkER (Milk Extraction Resource) project aims to provide this. The database contains milk protein and gene sequence information, ligand binding data, bioactive peptide data and protein-protein/disease interaction data for many mammalian species. In addition to a milk literature interface, we aim to include data on the effects of milk composition on growth and health, enzymatic properties of milk proteins, and also proteomic and microarray data.

As well as data collation, milkER also aims to perform text-mining on milk literature allowing discovery of novel functional relationships among milk proteins under physiological and processing conditions, leading to potential health and manufacturing benefits. This will be focused on the interactions of milk proteins physiologically with respect to positive and negative effects in mother, child and consumer. In comparison with labour-based research, conceptual research is more cost-effective and milkER will provide high throughput analysis of the milk literature. The milkER website is online at http://www.milkER.org.uk.