The effect of simulated flash heating pasteurisation and Holder pasteurisation on human milk oligosaccharides.

BACKGROUND: Human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) have important protective functions in human milk. A low-cost remote pasteurisation temperature-monitoring system has been designed using FoneAstra, a cell phone-based networked sensing system to monitor simulated flash heat pasteurisation.

AIM: To compare the pasteurisation effect on HMOs of the FoneAstra FH method with the current Sterifeed Holder method used by human milk banks.

METHODS: Donor human milk samples (n = 48) were obtained from a human milk bank and pasteurised using the two pasteurisation methods. HMOs were purified from samples and labelled before separation using high-performance liquid chromatography. Concentrations of total HMOs, sialylated and fucosylated HMOs and individual HMOs using the two pasteurisation methods were compared using repeated-measures ANOVA.

RESULTS: The study demonstrated no difference in total concentration of HMOs between the two pasteurisation methods and a small but significant increase in the total concentration of HMOs regardless of pasteurisation methods compared with controls (unpasteurised samples) (p<0.0001).

CONCLUSION: The FoneAstra FH pasteurisation system does not negatively affect oligosaccharides in human milk and therefore is a possible alternative for providing safely sterilised human milk for low- and middle-income countries.