Human milk macronutrient analysis using point-of-care near-infrared spectrophotometry

Objective: To demonstrate that the real-time nutritional analysis of human milk carbohydrate, fat and protein with near-infrared (NIR) spectrophotometric methods is accurate. Study Design: A prospective study of the measurement of the macronutrient content of human milk. Milk was first analyzed on the SpectraStar 2400 Near Infrared Analyzer (Unity Scientific, Columbia, MD, USA), and then sent for primary chemical analysis for fat, protein and carbohydrate. Forty-two samples were used to create a calibration file. Ten samples were then used to validate the machine. Result: After logistic regression analysis, the validation set had a correlation (r(2)) of 0.91 for carbohydrates, 0.95 for fat and 0.95 for protein. Conclusion: This study demonstrates the feasibility of the use of NIR for nutrient analysis of human milk. NIR offers the potential for analysis and adjustable fortification of human milk to optimize nutrient intake for the high-risk neonate. Journal of Perinatology (2011) 31, 339-343; doi:10.1038/jp.2010.123; published online 4 November 2010