BBy: Technology to turn breast milk into powder

2023: Product Announcement

At the end of June 2023, medical technology company BBy introduced a spray drying method that hospitals can use to process human breast milk into a storable powder.

As the manufacturer notes, human breast milk is an incredibly important source of nutrition for newborns in intensive care units (ICUs). For June 2023, human donor milk is frozen and must be thawed before use in such institutions. This requires a lot of labor from staff and is very wasteful, as excess defrosted milk has to be discarded and large freezers consume a lot of electricity.

BBy introduced spray drying method to process human breast milk into powder

Spray drying technology developed by BBy turns human breast milk into a storable dry powder that medical staff can dissolve in water as needed. What's more, staff can cook exactly as much reconstituted milk as needed, which helps reduce waste. The company says the spray drying process retains biologically active components of breast milk, such as antibodies.

Scientists cite as an example the case of a child who was born 16 weeks ahead of schedule. This baby had an underdeveloped stomach, so he could not digest the milk mixture. Compared to formula milk, breast milk is digested much more easily.

We fed our company's dry breast milk in a diluted form through a tube that passed through the baby's nose to the very intestine (nasopharyngeal), bypassing the stomach. It is with joy to inform you that this child is four months old, his stomach is fully formed, and he is thriving! Breast milk is not only nutrient-rich, but also contains antibodies (proteins) that help children fight infections. A couple of examples of such proteins are lactoferrin and secretory IgA, which help protect against infections, both viral and bacterial, scientists said at the end of June 2023 .[1]

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