Impact of human milk pasteurization on digestive kinetics and intestinal lipid absorption using a combination of in vitro models

Introduction Human milk is a complex biological fluid recognized as the gold standard in neonatal nutrition, especially for preterm infants since it supports growth and brain development. Donor human milk, pasteurized for safety reasons, is the first option to feed preterm infants when mothers’ own milk is not available. Objective The aim of the present study was to determine the impact of breastmilk pasteurization on preterm gastrointestinal digestion and to evaluate its effect on lipid absorption. Methodology Kinetics of digestion and structural desintegration of pasteurized human milk (PHM) and raw human milk (RHM) were evaluated using a static in vitro digestion model that we adapted to simulate preterm digestion ability. Caco-2 /TC7 cells, an intestinal absorption model, were subsequently incubated with diluted PHM vs RHM-digestion media. Main findings During in vitro digestion, proteolysis was evaluated by SDS-PAGE followed by densitometry. Lactoferrin proteolysis was significantly (p