Production of safe therapeutic feeds from contaminated water supplies

We have assessed the effectiveness of using an osmotic sachet for safe rehydration of therapeutic milk from contaminated water supplies in a poor urban area of Bangladesh. 35 women were given sachets to hydrate in their homes and comparison of the hydration water and the reconstituted milk showed that the high bacterial contamination reported in the domestic water supply was removed by use of the sachet. The mean rehydration time was 4.5 h (range 3.4-5.5). This rehydration method could have a role in the preparation of therapeutic feeds where microbiological contamination of the environment is a serious problem and availability of adequate water is not a limiting factor.