Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 22, 2026
Rapid Isolation of Human Breast Milk-Derived Extracellular Vesicles
Published on: November 14, 2025
Comparison of two methods for cleaning breast pump milk collection kits in human milk banks
B Flores-Antón1, J Martín-Cornejo2, M A Morante-Santana1
1Neonatology Unit, Human Milk Bank of Madrid, Hospital Universitario 12 de Octubre, Madrid, Spain.
Background:
Appropriate decontamination of breast pump milk collection kits (BPKs) is critical to obtain safe milk for infants and to avoid discarding donor human milk (DHM).
Aim:
To evaluate two strategies for BPK decontamination by assessing microbial cultures and the proportion of discarded DHM, according to the criteria of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence for pre-pasteurization cultures.
Methods:
Prospective comparative study, allocation ratio 1:1, microbiologist-blind.
Participants:
47 new donors in a human milk bank in Madrid.
Interventions:
Study group (N=21): BPKs washed with water and detergent after each use and further steam decontamination within a microwavable bag. Control group (N=26): washing, rinsing and drying only. Five samples: first sample by hand expression and four samples (one per week) collected using the same pump and method.
Outcomes:
Primary: proportion of DHM discarded due to contamination. Secondary: comparison of the microbiota between samples obtained by hand expression and breast pump in both groups.
Findings:
In total, 217 milk samples were collected: 47 by hand expression and 170 by pump expression (78 from study group). Steam decontamination of BPKs using a microwavable bag after washing resulted in a lower proportion of discarded DHM samples (1.3% vs 18.5%, P<0.001) and samples contaminated with Enterobacteriaceae (1.3% vs 22.8%, P<0.001) and Candida spp. (1.3% vs 14.1%, P<0.05) compared with samples collected with BPKs that were washed but not steam decontaminated. There were no differences in bacterial contamination between samples obtained using steam decontaminated BPKs and those obtained by hand expression.
Conclusions:
Steam decontamination of BPKs using a microwavable bag after washing decreases the amount of discarded DHM and the number of samples with potentially pathogenic bacteria.
Related Concept Videos
01:30Cleaning, Sterilization, and Disinfection
Cleaning
The cleaning process usually involves using water with detergents or enzymatic cleaner and removing foreign material from objects and surfaces, including organic material such as body fluids or inorganic material like soil. Cleaning is performed before high-level disinfection and sterilization because foreign materials on the cover of the devices interfere with process...
01:30ATP Driven Pumps III: V-type Pumps
The peripheral or cytosolic V1 domain with eight subunits is involved in ATP hydrolysis. The integral or transmembrane V0 domain containing at least five subunits...
01:34ATP Driven Pumps II: P-type Pumps
A typical P-type pump has three cytosolic domains: nucleotide-binding (N), phosphorylation (P), and activator (A) domains. These domains are connected to the membrane-spanning helices by short amino acid segments. ATP hydrolysis and covalent phosphoenzyme intermediate formation are crucial parts of the catalytic cycle. At the highly...
01:08Renal Drug Clearance: Comparison Between Renal Excretion Methods
Renal clearance is often associated with the renal glomerular filtration rate (GFR), which represents the rate at which plasma is filtered through the glomeruli in the kidney. When drug reabsorption is minimal and there is no active secretion, renal clearance is closely related to the...
01:13Pumped Concrete
For direct-acting pumps, the concrete enters the pump via the inlet valve under the action of gravity and suction created by the movement of the piston. This concrete is then forced into the pipeline and out through the outlet valve by the forward movement...
02:57The Sense of Self: Reflected Self-Appraisal and Social Comparison