Breast milk collection and storage containers and systems thereof
View Patent ↗A breast milk collection and storage system and methods of use is described. The breast milk collection and storage system may include a milk container operable to hold and store breast milk for an extended period of time. The milk container may include a container wall with an oxygen blocking layer, a light blocking layer, and an inner surface that is non-adherent for lipids and proteins, a container opening surrounded by the container wall, and a foil seal operable to seal the container opening. The milk container may have low oxygen head space and a storage system to enable the rapid cooling of the breast milk.
1. A method for breast milk collection and storage, comprising:
providing a milk container operable to hold and store breast milk for an extended period of time, the milk container comprising:
a container wall comprising an oxygen blocking layer, a light blocking layer, and an inner surface that is non-adherent for lipids, proteins, and other hydrophobic moieties;
a container opening surrounded by the container wall; and
a foil seal operable to seal the container opening,
wherein an internal volume of the milk container has 4% or less of oxygen prior to being filled with breast milk;
piercing the foil seal with a flapper valve, wherein the flapper valve comprises a lower lip operable to prevent the flapper valve from inverting when piercing the foil seal; and
filling the milk container with breast milk,
wherein the internal volume of the milk container has 10% or less of oxygen after being filled with the breast milk;
wherein the breast milk experiences a less than 10% increase in the concentration of lipid peroxides, photodegradation, and/or lipid adsorption during the extended period of time,
wherein the extended period of time is up to 12 days.
2. The method of claim 1 further comprising storing the milk container at 2-8° C.
3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the breast milk has a composition that is suckled quality such that it is at least 60-100% identical in enzymatic content and at least 90-100% identical in lipid and lipid peroxide content to milk provided to baby directly from the breast in real time.
4. The method of claim 1 further comprising attaching a flange body adapter having a first end and a second end to a breast pump flange at the first end and the milk container at the second end.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the milk container further comprises a cooling element docking area, and wherein the method further comprises:
docking the cooling element docking area of the milk container on at least one quick cooling element of a quick cooling apparatus; and
cooling the breast milk in the milk container using the quick cooling apparatus.