Dados do Trabalho

Título

PHYSICAL-CHEMICAL AND RHEOLOGICAL PARAMETERS OF CONCENTRATED HUMAN MILK

Introdução

In recent years, the nutrition of premature newborns (NBs) has been widely studied due to its importance in improving survival rates, especially among very low birth weight (VLBW) infants. When breast milk is unavailable, the second option is human milk (HM) donated by the Human Milk Bank Network (HMBN). HMBN represents a significant advance in newborn feeding and storing and distributing pasteurized HM according to the newborns' needs. Therefore, improving the operational processes of these banks, including conservation and storage techniques, such as concentration, is essential. This study aimed to concentrate human milk (CHL) and evaluate its physicochemical and rheological parameters.

Material e Métodos

The CHL was pasteurized at 60°C for 30 minutes, followed by a concentration process in a rotoevaporator until reaching approximately 40% total solids (TS). Subsequently, CHL was subjected to color (L*, a*, b*), moisture, water activity (aw), and rheological characteristics analyses.

Resultados e Discussão

The results indicated that CHL had a moisture content of 59.77 ± 0.9%, crucial for the stability and safety of the product, and an aw of 0.940 ± 0.02. Color analysis revealed values of L* (76.7), a* (-0.3), and b* (16.7), suggesting a green-yellow hue, a result from the literature, suggesting no degradation of the initial components. These compounds are beneficial for the visual and immunological development of premature infants. Rheological tests demonstrated that CHL exhibited pseudoplastic behavior, characterized by a flow behavior index (n) less than 1 and a consistency index (K) of 0.27 Pa sn. The apparent viscosity (η) ranged from 0.17 Pa s at 10 s⁻¹ to 0.12 Pa s at 100 s⁻¹, indicating a decrease in viscosity with increasing deformation rate. This behavior is advantageous for administering CHL through tubes or bottles, facilitating the feeding of preterm infants

Conclusão

The results of this study highlight the efficacy of concentrating CHL using a rotoevaporator as a promising technique to improve the nutritional density of milk without compromising its microbiological safety. A comprehensive analysis of LHC's physicochemical and rheological properties reinforces its suitability for immediate use in feeding preterm newborns, offering significant potential to optimize nutritional care in these vulnerable populations.