In the coming weeks it will be launched at the Blood Bank of Merida a breast milk bank intended for newborns whose mothers cannot breastfeed them. It will be available both for women who want to donate and for those who need human milk for their babies.
We had already advanced it long ago, and it is, without a doubt, great news for Extremadura.
A difference with respect to the rest of milk banks in Spain is that it will be a pioneer in the procedure used for the preservation of milk. After a series of research papers, the Agrifood Technology Institute (INTEAEx) has discovered a pioneer and "totally natural" method.
The process consists in subjecting the milk to high hydrostatic pressures, instead of what is usually done for the preservation of this product, which is pasteurization based on the use of heat.
In this way, they point out that milk properties are greatly improved, such as smell, taste, color or consistency, and most importantly, immunoglobulins, as well as lymphocytes, remain intact.
Breast milk banks are essential to offer the best food to babies whose mothers, for whatever reason, cannot breastfeed directly.
It is a service that many newborns can benefit from, especially those premature babies, improving the development of their neurological and visual systems, reducing infection rates and intestinal problems, and ultimately affecting a faster recovery.
In recent years, several breast milk banks have been launched in Spain, to which the new milk bank of Mérida, in Extremadura.
Even so, more centers for the exchange and storage of human milk are still needed in Spain, especially given the good reception of those currently in operation.
