Wang et al derived equations for predicting lipid and energy content of human breast milk based on the creamatocrit. This can help ensure that the infant is receiving adequate caloric intake, especially when only breast milk is being used. The authors are from Vanderbilt University in Nashville.
The creamatocrit is prepared in a standard hematocrit centrifuge at 3,000 rpm for 15 minutes. The creamatocrit for fresh milk ranges from 2-8%.
percent lipid =
= (length of lipid layer in mm) / (length of total sample in mm) * 100%
lipid content of fresh milk in grams per dL =
= (0.51 * (percent lipid as a whole number)) + 0.23
energy content of fresh milk in kcal per dL =
= (5.99 * (percent lipid as a whole number)) + 32.5
Freezing breast milk resulted in a decrease in the creamatocrit and required slightly modified equation.
lipid content of frozen milk in grams per dL =
= (0.54 * (percent lipid as a whole number)) + 0.39
energy content of frozen milk in kcal per dL =
= (6.20 * (percent lipid as a whole number)) + 35.1
total lipid intake per day in grams =
= (lipid content in g/dL) * (number of deciliters consumed per day)
total caloric intake from lipid per day in kcal =
= (energy content in kcal/dL) * (number of deciliters consumed per day)
