A novel heat treatment protocol for human milk

Area of Science:

• Nutritional Science
• Microbiology
• Food Science

Background:

• Human milk (HM) is crucial for premature infants but requires pasteurization for safety.
• Holder pasteurization (HoP) eliminates bacteria but degrades heat-sensitive bioactive components in HM.
• Alternative pasteurization methods are needed to balance microbial safety and nutritional integrity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate high-temperature short-time (HTST) pasteurization as an alternative to HoP for HM.
• To assess the efficacy of HTST in bacterial reduction and retention of key bioactive components (alkaline phosphatase, secretory IgA, lactoferrin).

Main Methods:

• Utilized a modified Holder pasteurization platform for batch HTST processing of HM.
• Compared bacterial reduction and bioactive component retention between HTST (81°C/5s, 62°C/5s, 72°C/5s) and HoP (62.5°C/30min).

Main Results:

• HTST at 81°C/5s demonstrated comparable bacterial elimination to HoP.
• Optimal retention of bioactive components was observed at 62°C/5s HTST, outperforming 72°C/5s and HoP.
• Significant degradation of bioactive components occurred at higher HTST temperatures and longer durations compared to HoP.

Conclusions:

• HTST pasteurization is a viable alternative to HoP for processing HM, offering improved preservation of bioactive components.
• An optimal temperature-time combination for HTST must be determined for each specific processing platform to maximize safety and nutritional value.