Alice Catherine Evans service worker was protected by law. Alice became interested in the disease brucellosis and its relationship to fresh, unpasteurized milk. Alice's investigation focused on the organism "Bacillus abortus", known to cause miscarriages in animals. Alice learned that the microbe thrived in infected cows as well as animals that appeared healthy. The reports hypothesized that since the bacteria was found in cow's milk, a threat to human health was likely. Evans decided to investigate this; she wondered whether the disease in cows could be the cause of undulant fever in humans. She reported her findings to the Society of American Bacteriologists
The a2 Milk Company whether a cow produces the A2 or A1 type protein in its milk. The test allows the a2 Milk Company to license milk producers once proven their cows produce only A2 beta-casein protein in their milk, to the exclusion of the A1 beta-casein protein type. A2 Corporation licensed patents filed in the 1990s by the New Zealand Dairy Board, and filed its own patents on genetic tests to determine what form of beta-casein cows produce in milk, and concerning potential adverse health consequences of A1 milk. By 2012 A2 Corporation had developed a worldwide suite of intellectual property, including trademarks,