(recombinant Bovine Somatotropin, rBST, also called Bovine Growth Hormone, rBGH), the first genetically engineered animal hormone approved in the United States, is used to boost milk production in cows. Sold by Monsanto, it is banned in Canada and the European Union. Codex Alimentarius, the UN food standards body, has not certified that BST is safe.
(dairy science) Bovine somatotropin, commonly referred to as growth hormone. Produced naturally by the cow, stimulates metabolic functions related to growth and milk production.