NSF Award
2409744
The broader impact of this I-Corps project is the development of an affordable, easy-to-use method for extending the shelf life and preserving the nutritional integrity of human breast milk during freezer storage and thawing. This technology will enable continued breastfeeding and improved infant nutrition. Commercially, the solution will provide the first at-home solution for breast milk preservation, addressing an unmet need for mothers and caregivers. Facilitating continued breastfeeding supports public health by reducing risks of disease and medical costs associated with low breastfeeding rates. Nearly half of new mothers leave full-time careers after childbirth versus less than a quarter of new fathers. While the overall decision for women to leave their careers is multi-faceted, the unequal burden of providing breast milk to feed a child can play a role. Successful development of this technology can open up new research directions in food science, nutrition, and maternal, perinatal, and postnatal health.<br/><br/>This I-Corps project utilizes experiential learning coupled with a first-hand investigation of the industry ecosystem to assess the translation potential of the technology. The solution is based on the development of breast milk-preserving formulations composed of safe, food-derived compounds identified through a novel high-throughput screening approach. These formulations inhibit fat breakdown, restore nutritional content, and preserve the structural integrity of frozen breast milk. Human breast milk is the gold standard for infant nutrition, but its complex structure deteriorates during freezer storage, resulting in fat loss, rancidity, and infant rejection of the milk. Infant rejection of breast milk leads many lactating parents to switch to commercial infant formulas even though they are imperfect substitutes for human milk. With a formulation that has been shown to inhibit fat breakdown and preserve other key nutritional indicators for over six months of freezer storage, this technology may be the first affordable, at-home solution to extend breast milk's shelf-life.<br/><br/>This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
