Proyecto PID2023-149923OB-I00 financiado por:
BREMET
Donated human milk is an invaluable resource for feeding premature babies or those with certain medical conditions, particularly when their own mother’s milk is not available. Human milk banks ensure access to this resource under safe conditions, through established procedures for donor selection, collection, processing, storage and distribution of the milk.
Currently, the most widely used treatment in human milk banks is Holder pasteurisation, considered the gold standard for ensuring the microbiological safety of donated milk. Despite its effectiveness in reducing the microbial load, this heat treatment may partially affect certain components of biological, nutritional and functional interest in human milk, such as immunoglobulins, enzymes, proteins with antimicrobial activity and other compounds related to the protection and development of the infant.
In this context, it is necessary to study alternative or complementary technologies that allow the microbiological safety of donated human milk to be maintained whilst better preserving its biological and nutritional properties. Among these technologies, ultra-high-pressure homogenisation and short-wave ultraviolet radiation may represent promising options, provided their efficacy, feasibility of application and actual impact on the overall quality of the milk are demonstrated.
The BREMET project focuses on evaluating these emerging technologies as potential alternatives to Holder pasteurisation for the treatment of donated human milk. The overall objective is to determine whether ultra-high pressure homogenisation and UV-C radiation can ensure adequate microbiological safety by reducing microorganisms of public health and spoilage concern, whilst at the same time better preserving the bioactive, nutritional and functional components of the milk. The project is structured into three main sections:
- Evaluate the microbiological efficacy of ultra-high-pressure homogenisation and UV-C radiation in reducing microorganisms of concern for the safety of donated human milk;
- Analyse the impact of the treatments on milk quality, with particular attention to nutritional, bioactive and immunological components, as well as their stability during storage;
- Assess the feasibility and applicability of these technologies in human milk banks, taking into account the actual needs of these organisations, current working procedures and the limitations associated with conventional pasteurisation.
The first module will enable us to determine the ability of the selected treatments to reduce or eliminate relevant microorganisms in the context of human milk banks. The second module will provide information on the extent to which these technologies preserve the components of biological, nutritional and functional interest in milk, as well as on changes in product quality during storage. Finally, the third block has a more applied focus and aims to generate useful knowledge for possible future implementation under conditions similar to those found in actual milk banks.
The project is being carried out with the participation of research teams with expertise in food technology, microbiology, milk quality and biomedical research. Furthermore, the project benefits from the collaboration of various organisations involved in biomedical research, food technology and the management of donated human milk, including the IMIBIC-Reina Sofía University Hospital in Córdoba, the Blood and Tissue Bank of Catalonia/Human Milk Bank of Catalonia, the Human Milk Bank of the Reina Sofía University Hospital in Córdoba, the INSA-UB and the CIAL-CSIC.
This collaboration enables the project to be tailored to conditions that closely reflect the day-to-day operations of human milk banks and ensures that the proposed solutions address specific needs, such as improving microbiological safety, preserving bioactive compounds, optimising preservation processes and reducing the rejection of donated milk.
The project’s results are expected to contribute to progress towards more efficient treatments that respect the quality of donated human milk. In the long term, BREMET can help improve the safety and nutritional and functional quality of milk intended for the most vulnerable newborns, as well as optimise the processes used by human milk banks.
This is a project developed within the framework of BREMET, “Emerging alternative technologies to Holder pasteurisation for Human Milk Banks: ultra-high pressure homogenisation and short-wave ultraviolet radiation” (reference PID2023-149923OB-I00), coordinated by the UAB through the Centre for Food Technology Research (CERTA-UAB).