Showcase of Undergraduate Research and Creative Endeavors (SOURCE)

Impact of Multiple Freeze/ Thaw Cycles on Nutritional Integrity and Bioactivity of Human Milk

The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) requires any donor milk that is thawed to be fed to premature infants within a certain timeframe, depending on the storage of the donor milk. These recommendations protect premature infants from potential exposure to contamination from human milk. Current recommendations in the United States and in NICUs do not allow for the re-freezing of human milk once it has been thawed. The aim of this experimental study was to determine the influence of multiple freeze/ thaw cycles on the nutritional integrity and bioactivity of donor human milk. Human milk samples from 50 participants were collected by WakeMed Mothers’ Milk Bank to be shipped to Winthrop University. Samples were then subjected to four free-thaw cycles and analyzed for the following components after each thaw: bacterial analysis (total coliform, S. aureus, total aerobic) and macronutrient analysis (total protein, total fat, carbohydrates). A statistical comparison of bacteria (total coliform, S. aureus, total aerobic) and macronutrients (total protein, total fat, carbohydrates) were done by using a repeated measure of Analysis of Variance (ANOVA).