Holder pasteurization affects S100B concentrations in human milk.

PURPOSE: Donor milk (DM) represents an important nutrition source for high-risk newborns. Holder pasteurization (HoP) is the most recommended procedure for DM treatment, providing a good compromise between microbiological safety and biological quality. HoP was previously shown to affect DM cytokines, growth factors and hormones levels, whilst no data concerning the possible effects of HoP on neurobiomarkers (NB) are available. Therefore, our study investigated whether the concentration in DM of a well-known NB involved in brain development/damage, namely S100B, changes due to HoP.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a pretest-test study in 11 mothers, whose DM samples were sub-divided into two parts: the first was immediately frozen (-80 °C); the second was pasteurized with Holder method before freezing. S100B DM levels were measured using a commercially available immunoluminometric assay.

RESULTS: S100B protein was detected in all milk samples. Results showed significant differences between groups (p < 0.05) in S100B levels after HoP.

CONCLUSIONS: Our data provide evidence that S100B is present in preterm milk as well as in term milk during maturation degree. Moreover, the results confirm the susceptibility of this neurotrophic factor to pasteurization stresses and the need to develop new storage techniques to preserve the biological quality of human milk.