I just talked to my coworker and she read the relevant passage from the
HMBANA 1999 Guidelines for Hospitals. I didn't get the page number but it
was in the section on info for parents.

Statement:

"Milk that is partially thawed and not previously fed to the infant (less
than 50% of volume thawed) may be refrozen, in the interest of maximizing
the volume of milk, availability of milk to the infant, and preventing
waste."

Explanations:

"There is no research to indicate that milk that has been partially thawed
is unsafe, and intrinsic anti-infective properties of the milk may still be
active, although at a reduced level.  Neville 1995.

"Repeated freezing and thawing may break down the milk fat globule membrane
and expose the inner surface to binding by ion and other milk components.
Frequent partial thawing should therefore be avoided. Other researchers
report that lipases remain active during refrigeration and freezing.
Berkow, et al 1984  Levine & Clark 1987

"Breakdown of the fats during lipolysis may actually increase the
anti-viral, anti-bacterial and anti-parasitic activity of the milk.  Hamosh
1994  Hamosh et al 1996  Isaac & Thormar 1990"

She didn't have time to read off the full citations in the back of the book
that correspond with these brief references. Can get those later for those
who need them.

Phyllis


--- Phyllis Adamson, IBCLC, RLC
--- Glendale, AZ, USA
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