Breastmilk is often called “liquid gold” because it’s perfectly made to meet your baby’s nutritional needs. For breastfeeding mamas like you, the process of pumping, storing, and feeding this precious resource can sometimes feel overwhelming and make you question - is it worth it if they’re not doing to drink it all? Freeze-dried breastmilk, an “old-yet-new-again” preservation method grounded in scientific research, is helping to protect the vital nutrients and immune-supporting components of your breastmilk AND offering long-term benefits!
What does the research say about freeze-dried breastmilk, and how does it stack up against traditional storage methods? Let’s take a peek at the science behind freeze-drying and how it impacts the health and safety of breastmilk for your baby.
What Is Freeze-Dried Breastmilk, and How Does It Work?
Freeze-drying, or lyophilization, is preserving liquids and foods by freezing them and then removing the water through sublimation (converting the ice directly into vapour).
Let’s all re-live our MuchMusic School Dance Parties and see the dramatic dry ice and vapour by the big screen/DJ booth. I’m seriously dating my millennial self here - if you’re Gen-Z, YouTube this (it’s worth it, I promise, and I’m sorry you missed out on this!). For my American mamas, did MTV have the same thing at your schools?
How does this relate to freeze-drying breastmilk? Well, we were all mesmerized by the dry ice. How does an ice block not melt or thaw? It’s through a process called sublimation. Imagine the dry ice is your breastmilk. Water vapour floats away, and a beautiful powder is left behind. That’s kind of like how freeze-drying breastmilk works: water vapour is removed without thawing or melting.
Breastmilk powder can be stored at room temperature and rehydrated later or added to your babe’s foods as they grow. While freeze-drying is widely used for food preservation, there is a long history of research on freeze-dried breastmilk showing the process maintains its nutritional value and makes storage easier, especially for milk banks.
But does freeze-drying affect the quality of breastmilk? Researchers have conducted studies to answer this question, and the findings are wild!
How Freeze-Drying Impacts Breastmilk’s Nutritional and Immune Components
Preserving Key Nutrients
Breastmilk is packed with macronutrients (fats, proteins, and carbohydrates) and micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) essential for your babe’s growth and development. Freeze-drying has been shown to retain and protect these nutrients.
A comprehensive review of 48 studies on freeze-dried breastmilk showed the process preserves proteins, including casein and whey, which are crucial for your baby’s digestion and growth. Carbohydrates, like lactose, are also retained, making sure your baby receives the energy they need.
Fats in breastmilk, essential for brain development, can reduce the size of fat globules after freeze-drying, which may help how breastmilk is digested by smaller babies. A recent study published in 2025 showed no changes to fat molecules in breastmilk.
Protecting Immune-Boosting Properties
One of the most significant benefits of breastmilk is its ability to strengthen your babe’s immune system. Components like immunoglobulins (antibodies), lactoferrin (iron transport and absorption), and lysozyme (protective against stomach viruses, and GI issues) play vital roles in protecting your baby from infections.
The research found that freeze-drying preserves bioactive components. This retention of antibodies and protective enzymes is critical for babies, especially those born prematurely or with weakened immune systems.
Benefits for Preterm Infants: What Does the Research Say?
Preterm babies often face unique challenges, including an increased risk of infections and digestive issues (NEC/formula allergens). Breastmilk is known to be a protective factor for these vulnerable infants. Still, storage and availability can be obstacles—especially for moms who rely on donor milk.
A Safer Alternative to Cow’s Milk-Based Products
For preterm infants, exposure to cow’s milk-based formulas or fortifiers can increase the risk of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), a serious digestive condition. Freeze-dried breastmilk is studied to be a safer alternative. By using human milk-derived fortifiers made from freeze-dried breastmilk, researchers aim to reduce the reliance on cow’s milk products and provide preemies with the nutrients they need in a form that’s easier to digest.
Safety and Shelf Life: A Key Advantage
Long-Term Storage Without Compromising Quality
Traditional methods of storing breastmilk, like freezing, have limitations. Freezing can alter breastmilk’s structure, reduce the activity of some bioactive components, and create storage challenges like managing freezer space.
Freeze-drying offers a different approach. Removing almost all the water content makes breastmilk shelf-stable for years without refrigeration or freezing. Research shows that this method minimizes the risk of bacterial contamination, making it a safer option for long-term storage. Reducing the water content means that bacteria, yeast, and mold can’t grow, making it shelf-stable and safe for years.
For moms who donate milk, or rely on donated breasmtilk - imagine milk banks freeze-drying their donor milk. It would improve accessibility and distribution because it's easier to transport and store, allowing more babies to benefit from the unique properties of human milk and preventing waste of frozen breastmilk.
The Mother's Milk Bank of Northern Texas a HMBANA member (Human Milk Banking Association of North America) for example, prefers frozen breastmilk less than 6 months old and there's a constant shortage of donor breastmilk.
Fortifying With Confidence
The studies reviewed make one thing clear: freeze-dried breastmilk retains the nutritional and immune-boosting value, even after processing.
For moms of preemies, freeze-dried breastmilk provides an option to support their babe’s unique needs without relying on cow’s milk-based products. Booby Food offers lab-tested nutritional analysis, so mamas can find out the nutritional breakdown of their breastmilk. Knowing how many calories, fat, protein and carbs are in your breastmilk means that you and your healthcare provider can create a fortification plan based on your freeze-dried breastmilk. Formula isn’t the only option anymore. For mamas who don't need to fortify, it offers a way to preserve the benefits of breastmilk while simplifying storage and transport.
The Future is Freeze-Dried
As more research emerges, freeze-dried breastmilk shows potential as an invaluable tool for breastfeeding moms. It combines the science of preservation with the natural and gold-standard benefits of breastmilk, making it an optimal choice for families looking to provide the best for their babe.
By maintaining the integrity of your breastmilk’s key nutrients and immune components, freeze-drying gives you the confidence to continue to support your babe’s health and development, no matter the circumstances or age. Whether you’re considering freeze-drying for long-term storage or as part of a feeding plan for a preterm baby, the research highlights its potential as a reliable and scientifically supported option.
Go to BoobyFood.com for more information and to book your Booby Food service today.
References:
Freeze-drying donor human milk allows compositional stability for 12 months at ambient temperatures
Combination of High-Pressure Processing and Freeze-Drying as the Most Effective Techniques in Maintaining Biological Values and Microbiological Safety of Donor Milk
Evaluation of freezing, ultra-cold freezing, and freeze-drying on the main components of human breast milk
