Comparison of Effects of Storage at Different Temperatures in a Refrigerator, Upright Freezer on Top of Refrigerator, and Deep Freezer on the Immunoglobulin A Concentration and Lysozyme Activity of Human Milk

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the effects of storing expressed human milk (HM) at different domestic storage temperatures on the secretory immunoglobulin A (SIgA) concentration and lysozyme activity. Forty mothers of full-term infants aged one to six months provided milk samples. The fresh samples were examined within 24 h of expression, and the other samples were stored in a refrigerator for four days or in two types of freezers for six months. The SIgA concentrations and lysozyme activity in the milk samples were studied using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits and fluorometric lysozyme activity assay kits, respectively. The pairwise comparisons of the SIgA concentration and lysozyme activity were carried out using one-way analysis of variance with Dunnett T3 or Kruskal–Wallis tests with Bonferroni correction, depending on the data distribution. The mean temperatures of the refrigerator, upright freezer on top of the refrigerator, and deep freezer (chest freezer) were 2.0, −16.7, and −22.3 °C, respectively. Our study results highlight that the SIgA concentration and lysozyme activity of HM stored in the refrigerator for four days and in freezers for six months were significantly lower than those of fresh HM (p < 0.001). During the first six months of storage in both types of freezers, the SIgA levels were stable, whereas the lysozyme activity significantly decreased (p < 0.001). HM stored in the deep freezer had a higher SIgA concentration and lysozyme activity than HM stored in the upright freezer on top of the refrigerator. Our data support the superiority of fresh human milk over stored HM. If HM is to be stored, then storage in a deep freezer is potentially a more effective method for the preservation of SIgA concentrations and lysozyme activity than storage by refrigeration for four days or in an upright freezer on top of a refrigerator for six months.