Effect of pasteurisation on the concentrations of vitamin D compounds in donor breastmilk

Abstract

Premature infants are the main recipients of pasteurised donor human milk (PDHM), when their mothers are unable to provide their own. In this study, we evaluated the effect of pasteurisation on the concentrations of vitamin D compounds in donor breastmilk. Milk samples were obtained pre- and post-Holder pasteurisation. Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was used to analyse the samples for vitamins D₂ and D₃ (D₂ and D₃) and 25-hydroxyvitamins D₂ and D₃ (25(OH)D₂ and 25(OH)D₃). The significance of differences in vitamin D concentrations between the two groups of milk samples was assessed using the Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed rank test, in which p < 0.05 was considered significant. Pasteurisation resulted in a significant reduction (p < 0.05) in the content of D₂, D₃, 25(OH)D₂ and 25(OH)D₃. The losses ranged from 10% to 20% following pasteurisation.

Keywords:

• Bone disorders
• Holder pasteurisation
• Milk bank
• preterm infants

Acknowledgements

The authors also wish to thank the staff at the RBWH Milk Bank.

Declaration of interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest. The authors wish to thank International Postgraduate Research Scholarship (IPRS) and University of Queensland Centennial Scholarship (UQCent) for financial support.