Resumen

MATERAN RAMIREZ, Mariana et al. Effects of short term storage time and temperature on the protein content of human milk. Arch Venez Puer Ped [online]. 2012, vol.75, n.1, pp.20-23. ISSN 0004-0649.

Maternal milk is the ideal food for newborns and infants, on an exclusive basis, up to six months and together with complementary food, up to two years of age. The early weaning could have multifactorial causes: lack of prenatal control, unawareness of the benefits of breastfeeding, hypogalactia, inappropriate hospital practices, advertising of infant foods, return of the mother to work, unawareness regarding milk extraction and preservation. The objective of this investigation is to evaluate the effect of storage time and temperature within a short term on how it affects the protein content in mature milk of mothers who attended medical consulting at Hospital Dr. Jorge Lizarraga. Method: This is an experimental, correlational, cuantitative and applied investigation. Twenty milk samples were analyzed from healthy women with exclusive breastfeeding, obtained through manual extraction. Each of these samples was separated in 2 aliquots: 1. To be analyzed at once. 2. To be analyzed after being stored at 15°C for 24 hours. Determination of proteins was performed according to the industrial norms of Covenin. Results: The concentration of proteins was of 1,53 gr/dl in recently extracted milk and 1,50 gr/dl in milk stored at 15°C for 24 hours. There was no significant difference between the values of proteins found in the recently extracted maternal milk and the one that had been stored. Conclusion: Human milk stored at 15°C for 24 hours, the concentration of proteins is not modified in comparison to recently extracted milk.

Palabras clave : breast milk; exclusive breastfeeding; protein; keeping; temperature.