Should goods made from human milk be homogenised? Expert opinions are shared
Products made from human milk have a wide range of manufacturing techniques, which could affect the products’ content. The homogenization of milk, whether it be with or without heat, is one such widely used production procedure that modifies the structure of the bioactive ingredients that have evolved via evolution. Nutritional goods made from homogenised human milk may or may not be safe and effective.
Providing for prematurely born babies can be a difficult task. These infants are frequently very medically frail in addition to having high nutritional needs to help the brain and lungs develop for life outside the womb.1.
Neonatologists are faced with a dilemma: research indicates that breastfeeding exclusively for the first six months of a newborn’s life can have both short- and long-term benefits for the health and neurodevelopment of the infant. This recommendation comes from the American Academy of Paediatrics.2. However, breast milk is insufficient on its own to replenish the nutrients that preterm children would have received in the last few weeks of pregnancy had they not been born before their due date.
Fortifiers must be given to breast milk for premature babies in order to provide them the intensive nutrition they need to support healthy growth and development.2. Cow’s milk has long been used to make baby formula and nutritional fortifiers used in the NICU, however this has been linked to a higher risk of major, perhaps fatal problems.
Thankfully, the best level III and IV NICUs in the world are starting to use fortifiers made from human milk as regular practice. Since 2007, Prolacta Bioscience (Duarte, CA) has led the industry in product development, introducing the first-ever fortifiers made entirely of human milk to NICUs and producing high-quality goods. These thoroughly researched goods have never been combined. When included in an Exclusive Human Milk Diet (EHMD), Prolacta’s products have been clinically demonstrated to be more effective than providing cow milk-based products.
Reduced rates of morbidity and mortality
lower the prevalence of lactose intolerance
Reach sufficient expansion
Lower the prevalence of BPD, or bronchopulmonary dysplasia.Numbers
Decrease the prevalence of preterm retinopathy (ROP) Lower the incidence and assessments of late-onset sepsis, and
Lower the chance of developing necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC)
Boost long-term results including insulin resistance, neurodevelopment, and body composition
Reduce NICU stays by a few daysSix
Cut back on medical expenses.
Why is human milk the ideal food for preterm babies?
Human milk is a dynamic, complex fluid that is bioactive and contains a wide range of substances that promote the immune system, neurodevelopment, overall growth, and long-term health of immature infants.
The bioactive ingredients that are specific to human milk are the main distinction between goods made from cow’s milk and those made from human milk.Human milk contains a variety of bioactive components, including proteins called immunoglobulins, lactoferrin, lysozyme, and human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs), which are a class of prebiotics that are difficult to produce and are therefore either absent or very little present in nutritious products made from cow’s milk.
Human milk also contains other significant bioactive components called milk fat globule membranes (MFGMs). These chemicals lessen inflammation and strengthen the immune system of newborns. In addition to lowering the chance of infection, they also enhance intestinal function.24 MFGMs promote several facets of a baby’s growth, including as its metabolism, neurodevelopment, and microbiota.
Handle human milk carefully.
The highest bioactivity in the human milk sector is found in Prolacta’s nutritional products made entirely of human milk.In order to guarantee that any pathogens are rendered inactive while preserving the maximum amount of the milk’s inherent bioactivity, Prolacta’s nutritional products undergo vat pasteurisation, following the guidelines outlined by the US Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) pasteurised milk legislation. Current, well-researched human milk-based products are not homogenised.
As other manufacturers begin to enter the human milk-based fortifier arena, some are employing a variety of processing methods such as retort sterilisation and ultra-high-temperature (UHT) processing and are homogenised. The effects of such processes on the human milk products given to premature infants is completely unknown. We need to better understand the impact of these different processing methods on the composition and bioactivity of breast milk.
Homogenisation is a process that evenly disperses two liquids to create a single uniform mixture. In the dairy industry, homogenisation is used to improve cow milk’s taste, consistency and appearance, as well as to extend its shelf life. Manufacturers homogenise cow milk to disperse fat droplets and prevent the cream from rising to the top.
Remarkably, some newer human milk companies are routinely using homogenisation, even though there is no clinical evidence on the safety and efficacy of using homogenised human milk products in the premature infant population. Homogenisation is not a common practice for established milk banks, which collect and store donated breast milk, or companies currently producing human milk-based products.
Manufacturing is important.
We just wrote a peer-reviewed viewpoint on the research on homogenization’s effects on nutritional goods made from human milk. The article focuses on modifications to the milk fat globule’s (MFG) macromolecular structure and how those modifications affect digestion. We developed a conceptual framework for the possible effects of nutritious products derived from homogenised human milk on the health of preterm infants using data that had already been published. We also recommended directions for further study.
Among our findings are the following: homogenization throws off the MFGM, which could cause bioactive substances like sphingolipids and long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFAs) to be digested too soon. Positive neurological outcomes have been associated with adequate consumption of these components. We don’t know the consequences of modifications to the MFG and its membrane on infant health since we lack clinical evidence on these impacts.
Furthermore, only the non-homogenized goods that are currently on the market qualify for the well-established therapeutic benefits of nutritional products based on human milk. There is no clinical evidence to support the use of homogenised human milk-based products in preterm or other critically unwell newborns, and it is unknown if these products are safe or effective.
Not all nutritional products made from human milk are made equal. As experts in human milk research and medicine, we believe that until the safety and effectiveness of human milk-based nutritional products have been shown, industrial processing methods like homogenization—with or without high-heat processing—should be avoided. Based on present knowledge, we do not advocate homogenising to potentially damage the natural MFG and its membrane.