The effect of storage on energy, carbohydrate, fat, and protein content of breast milk

ABSTRACT Background: Working mothers may need to store their breast milk for later use. However, this method raises concern about the nutrition contents of the milk after storage. Objective: to compare the levels of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins between fresh breast milk and stored breast milk. Methods: A prospective cohort study was conducted at the Pediatrics outpatient clinic of Sanglah General Hospital. The energy, carbohydrate, fat, and protein content of breast milk were analyzed using MIRIS Human Milk Analyser (HMA). The difference in the concentration of energy, carbohydrate, fat, and protein between fresh breast milk, refrigerated (for 24-hours), and frozen (for 7 days) breast milk was analyzed using ANOVA (?=0.05). Results: Eighty-one samples of breast milk from 27 mothers were included in the study. The content of energy in fresh, refrigerated, and frozen breast milk were 65.04±3.51, 64.48±3.33 and 64.03±3.41 (p<0.001), respectively. The carbohydrate content were 6.96±0.19, 6.90±0.17, and 6.89±0.18 (p<0.001). The fat content were 3.55±0.41, 3.46±0.38, and 3.40±0.38 (p<0.001). The protein content were 1.14±0.19, 1.09±0.18, and 1.07±0.18 (p<0.05). There was a significant difference between the carbohydrate, fat, protein and energy content between the fresh, refrigerated, and frozen breast milk. The decrease in the content of carbohydrate, fat, protein and energy between the fresh and the refrigerated milk were 0.78%; 2.2%; 3.9%; and 0.83%, respectively. The decrease in the content of carbohydrate, fat, protein and energy between the fresh and the frozen milk were 1.01%; 3.9%; 6.3%; and 1.5%, respectively. Conclusion: There was a statistically significant difference in the energy and macronutrient content between the fresh and the stored breast milk. However, the difference has no importance clinically, and breastmilk is strongly recommended. Keywords: Content differences, carbohydrate, fat, protein, energy, breast milk Cite this Article: Pramitasari, P.A., Sidiartha, I.G.L., Pratiwi, I.G.A.P.E. 2019. The effect of storage on energy, carbohydrate, fat, and protein content of breast milk. Bali Medical Journal 8(1): 59-62. DOI:10.15562/bmj.v8i1.823