Migration of cyclohexanone and 3,3,5-trimethylcyclohexanone from a neonatal enteral feeding system into human milk.

Prazad, Preetha; Donovan, Ramona; Won, Brian; Cortes, Donald

OBJECTIVE Estimate the migration of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) which have been identified by the EPA as a public health concern, from the enteral feeding system into human milk. STUDY DESIGN Unfortified human milk samples were infused through an enteral feeding system with varying duration of infusion, incubator temperature, and pre-infusion tube priming. Purge & Trap analysis and GC/MS were used to identify the VOC profile of milk pre- and post-infusion. RESULT Cyclohexanone and 3,3,5-trimethylcyclohexanone (3,3,5-TMC) accumulated significantly in milk samples post-infusion. Duration of infusion had a significant effect on VOC accumulation (p = 0.001). Accumulation patterns of cyclohexanone and 3,3,5-TMC differed significantly based on milk type (donor vs. mother's own milk). CONCLUSIONS VOCs, migrate from plastic-based feeding equipment into human milk. Based on these findings, limiting the duration of feeding infusion would reduce VOC exposure derived from enteral feeding in the neonatal intensive care unit.