Recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone is a synthetic hormone and it increases the milk production in cows, and it is approved in the states by the Food and Drug Administration in 1993, however the European Union and Canada rejected the use of that hormone.
Where is it made?
Naturally, Somatotropin is a 191-amino acid, single chain polypeptide that is synthesized and stored by Somatotropic cells within the lateral wings of the anterior pituitary, like other hormones, usually produced in very little quantities.
How it's made?
Scientists have found out which cells in cattle synthesizes production of bST. They isolated the gene and inserted it into Escherichia coli (more commonly known as E-coli). Using the E-coli bacteria to produce bST, they purify a portion of and later inject it into the cow. This is part of transgenic organisms that are designed to mass produce proteins and molecules which would be too expensive to gather on their own, another example, again being E-coli and how it produced a polymer which is later used in synthetic engineering.
How is it administrated?
bST is not given to the animal orally, bST is a complex protein that is broken down into small, inactive acids and peptides when it enters the digestive system, similar to insulin, so the animal must be injected with it on the regular basis, usually behind the ear. The exact connection between milk production and the hormone is not known,
why IS IT BANNED?
European union banned the use of the product due to the fear of health risks that rBST can pose to humans, including cancer. in 1999, Canadian health officials banned rBST because they decided that risk that it posed to the cows, however some argue that the ban had an economic undertone rather than simple protection of the public health. The increase yield of milk due to the addition of rBST can disrupt the production system. I believe that the ban is called for, as the increase of pus and bacteria travels into the milk, making the milk look watery and unsafe. While that milk typically doesn't make it to the markets, it still implies that bacteria can seep into milk and end up in the dairy products that we consume.