Effects of Refrigerated and Frozen Storage on Holder-Pasteurized Donor Human Milk: A Systematic Review

Pasteurized donor human milk (PDHM) is the recommended feeding alternative for preterm infants when mother's own milk is not available. Use of PDHM in United States neonatal hospitals is increasing, although guidelines for the refrigerated and frozen storage are limited.

We aimed to review the current evidence for the storage of Holder PDHM (HPDHM) under refrigerated and frozen storage conditions.

A systematic review of the literature was conducted for studies published between 1985 and May 2018. Studies were included if they studied the storage of Holder-pasteurized human milk under refrigerated or frozen storage conditions.

Fourteen studies met the inclusion criteria. Five studies addressed refrigerated storage and nine studies addressed frozen storage. There was little overlap in the outcomes measured or the analytical methods employed. There was concordance in three studies reporting no microbial growth over 4-9 days of refrigerated storage, and in five studies reporting a reduction in fat during 1-8 months of frozen storage. Only one study assessed the storage of HPDHM that had been fortified.

Long-term refrigerated and frozen storage of HPDHM affects some components in milk more than others. While there is evidence of microbial purity during four or more days of refrigerated storage in clinical conditions, there is limited research on the impact of macro and micronutrients, or the impact of fortifiers. More research is needed in these areas.