Nonprofit organisation (NPO) the South African Breastmilk Reserve (SABR), in partnership with medical aid and insurance provider Discovery and product development company SKEG, have launched the automated, South African-designed ‘SoSafe’ breastmilk pasteuriser.

The SABR said this was a groundbreaking advancement in neonatal care and would assist in increasing human milk banking volumes, while helping to save the lives of many premature babies in neonatal intensive care units.

Showcasing the technology to the media on August 7, the SABR said the pasteuriser offered an affordable, user-friendly and safe solution for pasteurising donated breastmilk, ensuring more premature and low-birthweight infants receive the lifesaving nutrition they need.

The organisation explained that the SoSafe – developed and manufactured by SKEG – was designed to double the current human milk banks’ impact and aimed to save 500 premature lives a year. It said the equipment's robust design ensured fewer breakdowns and faster operation.

The SoSafe adheres to Holder Pasteurisation requirements and boasts a processing capacity of 25 litres per eight-hour cycle – a 25% improvement over the performance of the previous generation of pasteurisers.

The SABR noted that the pasteuriser was affordable, enabling low-income hospitals to establish their own human milk banks.

The pasteuriser is also user-friendly and helps to ensure protection for neonates from conditions such as necrotising enterocolitis.

Speaking at the launch, SABR executive director Stasa Jordan discussed the importance of human milk banking and breast milk donation for premature babies.

She explained the benefits of breastmilk for babies’ survival, growth and long-term health, noting that breastfeeding helped improve the neurodevelopmental outcomes of premature babies, reducing the need for hospitalisation later in life.

With this in mind, she argued that improved health outcomes could also result in economic benefits, discussing the cost-containment aspects of human milk banking,

“The sooner we begin a premature baby on donated breast milk, the sooner we end expensive treatments . . . Investing in human milk banking is a cost containment strategy for the health system that is looking to, first of all, improve health outcomes for all babies and decrease the cost of artificial feeding,” she said.

“So let's remember that we need to promote breastfeeding as an industry . . . and a public health intervention, and not just because it's best,” she added.

Also speaking at the launch, Department of Health assistant director in the cluster child, youth, and school health, responsible for child nutrition Zandile Kubeka discussed the importance of breastfeeding in South Africa, noting existing local policies and strategies, as well as the department’s initiatives in this regard.

Kubeka discussed the need for education on the nutritional properties and benefits of breastmilk for babies.

“We are pushing this agenda for breastfeeding because we know that beyond survival, it's also [necessary] for growth and development,” she said.

The SABR explained that the pasteuriser was International Electrotechnical Commission 61010-1 certified for laboratory equipment safety, making it a reliable choice for hospitals and milk banks globally.