Effects of pasteurisation and high-pressure processing on vitamin C, tocopherols and fatty acids in mature human milk

Holder pasteurisation has traditionally been used in human milk banks to inactivate the pathogenic microorganisms and part of the commensal flora that are potentially present in milk from donors. However, this process results in variable loss of nutrients. In the search for an alternative to pasteurisation, we assessed the ability of high-pressure processing (HPP) to maintain the fatty acid, vitamin C and vitamin E contents of human milk and compared this process with Holder pasteurisation. Fatty acid proportions in milk, as well as levels of delta-, gamma-, and alpha-tocopherols did not vary with any of the treatments. Total vitamin C and ascorbic acid levels were maintained after HPP. However, after pasteurisation, total vitamin C and ascorbic acid were about 20% and 16% lower, respectively, than in untreated samples. These results suggest that HPP merits further investigation as a potential alternative to Holder pasteurisation for treating donor human milk.