title: Sensorial analysis of expressed human milk and its microbial load.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To verify the existence of a relationship between presence of off-flavor and microorganism load in quality control rejected samples of expressed human milk from a donor milk bank.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 30 samples of expressed human milk with off-flavor were tested for the occurrence of the following microorganisms: aerobic mesophilic, psycrotrophic, proteolytic, psycrotrophic proteolytic, thermoduric, psycrotrophic thermoduric, lactate and lipolytic bacteria, molds and yeasts and Staphylococcus aureus, total coliforms and thermophilic coliforms, in accordance with official methods.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Percentage occurrence of microorganisms was as follows: aerobic mesophilic = 80%; psycrotrophic = 36.7%; proteolytic = 46.7%; psycrotrophic proteolytic = 16.7%; thermoduric = 6.7%; psycrotrophic thermoduric = 0%; lactate bacteria = 50%; lipolytic = 10%; molds and yeasts = 6.7%; S. aureus = 30%; total coliforms = 53.3%; and thermophilic coliforms = 16.7%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A consistent relationship between presence of off-flavor and elevated microorganism counting was observed in the analyzed samples. This correlation highlights the importance of off-flavor research during selection and quality control processes in human milk banks.
authors.affiliation: Instituto Figueira, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil. franz@fiocruz.br
authors.forename: Franz R
authors.initials: FR
authors.lastname: Novak
authors.forename: Ana R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Junqueira
authors.forename: Manuela de S P C
authors.initials: Mde S
authors.lastname: Dias
authors.forename: João A G
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Almeida
mesh_terms: D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017784:Milk Banks; D008895:Milk, Human / Q000737:chemistry / Q000382:microbiology*; D009812:Odorants / Q000032:analysis*; D011786:Quality Control; D013649:Taste