Human Milk Preservation Composition for Freeze-Thaw Rancidity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Human milk becomes rancid during storage, leading to undesirable flavor and odor, which infants reject, and current methods like ultra-pasteurization alter nutritional content.
Innovation Solution
A composition comprising emulsifying agents, antioxidants, and ice-structuring proteins is added to human milk to prevent rancidity and maintain nutritional properties during storage, without the need for ultra-pasteurization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Duration of action of stationary object
If human milk is stored in freezers, then shelf life is extended, but the emulsified structure degrades and rancidity occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by adding a formulation containing emulsifiers and antioxidants to human milk before storage. This pre-treatment prevents the degradation that would otherwise occur during freezing and thawing, maintaining the emulsified structure and preventing rancidity while extending shelf life.
Solution Approach 2:
The formulation acts as an intermediary substance that mediates between the storage conditions and the human milk. The emulsifiers and antioxidants in the formulation protect the milk's fat structure during storage, preventing direct damage from freezing and thawing cycles.
2Duration of action of stationary object
If ultra-pasteurization is used to prevent rancidity, then shelf life is extended, but nutritional content is altered
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the approach from high-temperature pasteurization to a chemical formulation approach. By using emulsifiers and antioxidants at lower temperatures, the patent extends shelf life without subjecting the milk to parameters (high heat) that would alter its nutritional content.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical/thermal system of ultra-pasteurization with a chemical system involving emulsifiers and antioxidants. This substitution achieves the same goal of preventing rancidity and extending shelf life without the harmful effects of high-temperature processing on nutritional content.
3Duration of action of stationary object
If human milk is freeze-thawed, then storage is enabled, but fat breakdown occurs and rancid flavor compounds are generated
Solution Approach 1:
The formulation provides beforehand cushioning by protecting the fat structure before freeze-thaw damage can occur. The emulsifiers and antioxidants create a protective effect that cushions against the mechanical stress of freezing and the chemical degradation that leads to rancid flavor compounds.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent converts the harmful effect of freeze-thaw processing into a beneficial outcome. By using the formulation, the freeze-thaw process that would normally cause fat breakdown and rancidity instead becomes a safe storage method that maintains milk quality, turning a potentially harmful process into a beneficial preservation technique.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The composition effectively extends the shelf life and maintains the nutritional value of human milk, preventing fat degradation and rancidity, making it suitable for prolonged storage without altering its nutritional content.
Implementation Method 1
Freezers generally do not preserve the complex emulsified structure of human milk, resulting in fat breakdown
Implementation Method 2
the oxidation of lipids, which results in production of free fatty acids in expressed human milk increases during storage
Implementation Method 3
prevent fat degradation and rancidification by retaining the structural integrity of breastmilk during freeze-thaw
Data Source
AI summary
Described herein, are compositions and methods for preserving human milk, preventing rancidity of human milk, extending shelf life of human milk, and maintaining the nutritional properties of human milk. Specifically, the present disclosure provides, among other things, devices for storing preserved human milk and methods and compositions for preserving the same.