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Description
Breastfeeding is the best way to feed infants as it is one of the main factors responsible for the proper development children and maintaining their good health in adult age. When the mother cannot breastfeed, the best alternative is use human milk (HM) from human milk banks (HMB). These units collect and preserve HM by heating at 62.5°C for 30 min. Such treatment leads to a significant reduction in the nutritional and biological value of the HM. Therefore, new methods for preserving HM are searched for, which will ensure microbiological safety, but the properties of milk will be maintained as much as possible. The main purpose of this project is to create a scientific basis for developing an alternative procedure for preservation and storage of human milk that will minimize the loss of nutrients and biologically active components. In the first stage will be created a prototype of a modern apparatus for generating pressure at subzero temperature and then it will be determined the changes of selected nutrients and biologically active components and the degree of microbiota inactivation in HM during storage at subzero temperature and high pressure in the conditions when the water remain unfrozen. This knowledge will allow to estimate the benefits and limitations of the use storage at high pressure at subzero temperature as a method of preservation of human milk.
Summary of project results
Breastfeeding is regarded as the optimal method for nourishing newborns and children up to the age of two, according to the World Health Organization. When mothers are unable to breastfeed, the best alternative, particularly for feeding premature infants, is the use of human milk (HM) collected in human milk banks (HMB). In these units, milk undergoes processes to ensure microbiological safety, which, unfortunately, reduce its biological value. The most significant negative changes occur during milk pasteurization (62.5°C for 30 minutes). Therefore, there is a critical need to explore new preservation methods that maintain microbiological safety while preserving the beneficial properties of HM as much as possible.
The aim of the project was to design and build a device for storing HM at moderate pressures and subzero temperatures, in conditions that prevent water crystallization. The goal was to identify the pressure and temperature parameters that would completely inactivate the milk microbiota while preserving its nutritional and bioactive value. A device was constructed to enable the long-term storage of milk portions, with volumes of 100-150 mL, under moderate pressure at subzero temperature. It was demonstrated that maintaining HM at 111 MPa/–10°C results in the complete inactivation of the HM microbiota within just 2 days. Further storage under these conditions for up to 90 days does not alter the milk’ nutritional value and minimally impacts its bioactive components.
The results of this project indicate that hyperbaric storage may be a novel non-thermal method for preserving HM. The final outcome of the project is the proposal of a new procedure for handling HM in HMB, in which the application of hyperbaric storage allows for the elimination of the two stages of freezing/thawing and pasteurization.