Influence of donor characteristics on the milk donation volume and microbiological quality of donated human milk in first 3 years of work of the Croatian human milk bank-retrospective observational study

Jurjana Novoselac; Branka Golubić Ćepulić; Barbara Kalenić; Anita Pavičić Bošnjak

doi:10.1515/jpm-2023-0331

Article

Influence of donor characteristics on the milk donation volume and microbiological quality of donated human milk in first 3 years of work of the Croatian human milk bank-retrospective observational study

Jurjana Novoselac , Branka Golubić Ćepulić , Barbara Kalenić and Anita Pavičić Bošnjak

Published/Copyright: January 19, 2024

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From the journal Journal of Perinatal Medicine Volume 52 Issue 3

Abstract

Objectives

Donated human milk is the best possible alternative when mother’s own milk is not available. The aim of this study is to investigate whether there are differences in the milk donation volumes and microbiological quality of donated milk depending on human milk donors (HMDs) characteristics.

Methods

We analyzed data on the HMDs who donated milk in the first three years of work of human milk bank (HMB) – November 2019 to January 2023. The data on the volume of donated milk in L and suitable microbiological quality assessed by the number and isolated species of bacteria were collected from questionnaires filled out by HMDs and documentation administered by HMB employees and are presented using descriptive and comparative statistics.

Results

Two hundred HMDs were included in this study. The majority of them are between 26 and 35 years of age, reside in capital city or the surrounding county, have given birth to a full-term child vaginally, and express surplus milk through a breast pump. Donor mothers of preterm born infants (14.5 %) donated greater quantities, there is statistically significant difference in the median of volume of milk donated (9.6 vs. 6.4, p=0.026). Milk expressed manually shows better results in microbiological quality (median percentage 100 vs. 82 vs. 100, p=0.040), while by comparing other characteristics of the donors, no difference was found between the groups.

Conclusions

It is important to be aware of the characteristics of previous HMDs in order to direct the HMB future promotional and educational activities.

Keywords: human milk; tissue bank; donor selection; pasteurization; quality control

Corresponding author: Jurjana Novoselac, Human Milk Bank, Croatian Tissue and Cell Bank, Clinical Department of Transfusion Medicine and Transplantation Biology, University Hospital Centre Zagreb, Kišpatićeva 12, Zagreb 10000, Croatia, Phone: 0038598 586742, Fax 003851 2388037, E-mail: jnovosel@kbc-zagreb.hr

Acknowledgments

Thanks to all wonderful human milk donors and to their families for their altruistic act. Thanks to all the employees of the Croatian Tissue and Cell Bank and especially to Nedjeljka Radović, Marta Medenjak Šopar, Veljka Mihojević, Anamarija Jelečki, Martina Fileš, Sara Pavlišić and Ivana Leskovar for the considerate handling of each donated drop.

Research ethics: The study was approved by the University Hospital Centre Zagreb Ethics Committee in July 2023 (8.1-23/197-2; 02/013 AG).
Informed consent: Not applicable.
Author contributions: Concept and design: JN; Acquisition, analysis and interpretation of data: JN and BK; Drafting the article: JN, BGC and APB; Revising it critically for important intellectual content: BGC, APB. All authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this manuscript and approved its submission.
Competing interests: The authors state no conflict of interest.
Research funding: None declared.
Data availability: Not applicable.

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Received: 2023-08-10

Accepted: 2023-12-31

Published Online: 2024-01-19

Published in Print: 2024-03-25

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Articles in the same Issue

https://doi.org/10.1515/jpm-2023-0331

Keywords for this article

human milk; tissue bank; donor selection; pasteurization; quality control