Microbiological Status of Rehydrated Infant Formula Milk Powder Versus Expressed Breast Milk for Neonates

Breast milk is considered the best food for infants, however in some cases the infant must stay away from his mother and must be supplied with milk  by other means. In this case we have the choice between expressed breast milk and rehydrated infant formula and so, we applied this work to assess the microbiological status of both. The findings achieved in our study revealed that 27 (54%) out of the examined rehydrated infant formula milk samples were contaminated with different microbes with a mean count of 6.8×10 3 ± 2×10 2  CFU/ml. In case of expressed breast milk samples, 78% were contaminated with an average count of 3.3×10 5 CFU/ml. Stapylococcus epidermidis was the most prevalent micro-organism in both types of milk as it was present in 10% and 30% in infant formula and breast milk samples, respectively. Other microbes, including Staphylococci , Enterobactericeae , Enterococci , yeast and moulds were also detected with variable percentages. Although the higher contamination rate of expressed breast milk compared to the rehydrated  infant formula, breast milk remains the best choice for feeding babies. Such finding is attributed to the immune protection normally provided through feeding on breast milk. However, strickt hygienic measures during collection of breast milk should be followed to ensure minimal contamination.