Human milk composition through the lens of donor human milk banking

Much has been learned about breast milk composition in recent decades, but little is documented on donor human milk (DHM). Breast milk becomes DHM when it is donated by screened and approved lactating persons, pasteurized, and tested for absence of biological pathogens before being dispensed to hospitals and families for infants in need. However, DHM is different from a parent’s own milk. DHM composition is affected by individual milk donor characteristics and expression and storage processes, as well as milk bank thawing and pooling practices, mixing, and heat processing. In this review, we discuss what is known regarding macronutrient, micronutrient, and bioactive content in Holder-pasteurized DHM, how it differs from parent’s own milk, and how infrared milk analysis is utilized by non-profit milk banks.