Why Does My Milk Smell or Taste Bad?
The answer may be High Lipase
Have you ever noticed a weird smell with your pumped milk or that your baby doesn’t like the taste after it’s been in the fridge or freezer? You may have High Lipase in your milk.
What is Lipase? Lipase is a normal enzyme present in human milk. It helps breakdown fat to make it more digestible for your baby. When your body produces too much this may lead to a metallic or soapy smell or taste after a while.
Has my milk gone bad if there is high lipase? No! Your milk is safe to feed your baby. However, they may not like the taste.
How can I prevent high lipase? Freezing does not prevent lipase activity but gentle heat does. You can de-activate lipase by scalding your milk before freezing or storing.
After storing your milk in the fridge for the day, scald in one batch to save time.
Heat your milk on LOW in a clean pan until small bubbles form around the edges. NOT Boiling.
Cool the pan in ice water
Store in your desired containers and quantities in the fridge or freezer
What can I do with milk that has high lipase? If you have milk that you’ve already stored without scalding, you can mix half-half with freshly pumped milk to reduce unpleasant flavor. You can also use high lipase milk in bathwater as a milk bath.
