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Updated: Jan 13, 2026
Individualized Reconstitution of Human Milk Microbiota: A Feasible Approach in Real-World Settings
Published on: February 7, 2025
Human milk as a source of next-generation probiotics: quantifying Akkermansia muciniphila and microbial contamination
Sima Taheri1, Morteza Khomeiri1, Hesamaddin Shirzad Aski2
1Department of Food Science and Technology, Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Gorgan, Iran.
Background And Objectives:
Human milk provides nutrients, prebiotics, and probiotics that support infants' physical and mental growth. Human milk microbiota, as a potential source of probiotics and an indicator of the safety of donor milk, is of great importance. Akkermansia muciniphila, a core member of next-generation probiotics (NGPs), with the ability to degrade human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs), may be present in human milk. This study was carried out to assess the total bacterial count and presence of A. muciniphila in raw freshly expressed mothers' milk and pasteurized donor milk from human milk banks (HMBs).
Materials And Methods:
15 raw and 20 pasteurized milk samples were collected and analyzed using a real-time PCR technique with specific primers for A. muciniphila and universal 16S rRNA bacterial primers.
Results:
Results showed that the average total bacterial count was 4.95 log CFU/ml, which is lower than the normal range reported for human milk. Samples with bacterial count over the standard range were related to the HMBs. Prevalence of A. muciniphila in human milk was 35% and was higher in raw milk samples than in pasteurized samples.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, raw human milk can serve as a potential source for A. muciniphila isolation as a candidate for NGPs.
