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Bacteriological quality control in a human milk bank.
Klinische Padiatrie
|September 1, 1982
Summary
Banked human milk can be safely fed unheated to most infants with a new quality control system. This system prioritizes bacterial monitoring to ensure infant safety and preserve milk
Area of Science:
- Neonatal nutrition
- Microbiology
- Public Health
Background:
- Breast milk is the optimal nutrition for newborns.
- Pooled human milk is used when maternal milk is unavailable.
- Pasteurization of banked human milk may reduce nutritional and anti-infective properties.
Purpose of the Study:
- To present a quality control system for banked human milk.
- To implement systematic bacteriological monitoring.
- To differentiate between safe-to-consume and contaminated milk samples.
Main Methods:
- Literature review for quality control standards.
- Systematic bacteriological monitoring of banked milk.
- Classification of milk based on bacterial contamination levels.
Main Results:
- Over 60% of collected milk met standards for unheated feeding to preterm infants.
- Most remaining milk was suitable for unheated feeding to full-term infants.
- Less than 10% of milk required pasteurization.
Conclusions:
- A new quality control system effectively classifies banked human milk.
- The system allows for safe, unheated feeding of a majority of banked milk.
- Minimizing heat treatment preserves the benefits of human milk for infants.