Lactoferrin was discovered in 1939 as a red protein fraction in cow's milk. After over a dozen years of research, it was isolated from cow and human milk. Its characteristic feature was the red color during incubation with iron ions, which is why the name comes from Latin: "lacto" - milky and "ferrum" - iron. Over the next 20 years, the structure of this protein, its properties and multidirectional action were discovered.