Dear Marie,

Lipase is one of the many important enzymes found in human milk.  Its
function is to help the baby to digest fat.  One of the theories of sour
milk is that the lipase begins to break down some of the fat during
storage leading to a foul odor/taste.  Heat deactivates  some enzymes and
lipase activity decreases significantly after heating.  And yes,
breastmilk is still way more nutritional and healthy for babies than
formula, even after heating.  Although some of the substances found
exclusively in breastmilk will be destroyed completely, most are not.
Remember that banked milk is heat treated and still remains head and
shoulders above any formula you could find, which is why it remains in
such great demand.

BTW, I used Riordan and Auerbach to check my facts on this and it is all
in there, including a lot on milk storage and how different methods
affect different milk components.   Every IBCLC should have at least one
or two good, current reference books on hand and this one is at the top
of my list (BAB and Lawrence would be next).  Save up your pennies or put
it at the top of your next gift wish list.

Warmly,
Sharon Knorr, BSMT, LLLL, IBCLC in Newark, New York (near Rochester)
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