The contents of total, free, and bound vitamin B2 (B2) in bovine milk and their distribution in four separate milk fractions, including milk during the early lactation stage, were estimated. The total B2 content in whole mature milk was 179 +/- 25 micrograms/100 g (n = 16), and its distribution in the cream, whey, skim milk membrane, and casein fractions was 6, 67, 9, and 18%, respectively. The amount of flavins bound to protein in the total B2 was 13.6% in whole milk and rich in membrane fraction. The total B2 content (micrograms/100 g of milk) was higher in colostrum at 1-3 days (287 +/- 120) than in colostrum at 4-7 days (173 +/- 27), in transitional milk (182 +/- 33), and in mature milk (179 +/- 44). The bound flavin content decreased slightly as lactation progressed (20-30 micrograms/100 g), but the ratio of bound/total B2 did not vary (12-15%). Milk fat globule membrane (MFGM) contained 414 +/- 65 micrograms of B2/g of protein, most of it being bound to protein (92%). Market milks contained as much total B2 as raw whole milk, but the amount of bound form was only 2%. Guanidine HC1, urea, sodium dodecyl sulfate, pH at 3.0-3.5, delipidation, and boiling released most of the B2 bound to protein, suggesting that bound flavins bind to milk proteins by a hydrophobic linkage.