Israeli FemTech company MilkStrip, which develops real-time breast milk diagnostic tools, announced the launch of two at-home diagnostic kits for testing the quality of breast milk. In addition to quality, the test provides a real-time nutritional profile with actionable insight, and in only 3 minutes.
From lab to app in 3 minutes
When it comes to the freshness of breast milk, so many mothers find themselves playing the same smell the milk game that their grandmothers used to do. MilkStrip bids farewell to the old ways of ensuring your baby’s well-being with a simple data-backed at-home test that provides results in real-time, and with the same accuracy as a fully equipped lab. The two new products, Vitamin C Breastmilk Rapid Test and the Expiration Breastmilk Rapid Test, empower breastfeeding mothers with valuable insight into the quality of their milk, and thus their baby’s health.
“Parents want to be empowered to know more about the nutrients in the breast milk they feed their babies,” said Avital Beck, CEO and co-founder of MilkStrip. “While the overall benefit of feeding babies breast milk has been well established for years and will always be the optimal choice compared with any formulas on the market, MilkStrip is the first innovator in the baby-tech industry to deliver breast milk test results in real-time and at-home exactly when parents need answers.”
According to the company, more than 60% of women throw out stored breast milk, which is usually still fresh for consumption, because they are unsure of its quality profile and do not want to risk feeding their infants sour milk. In addition, mothers are often unaware of their milk’s nutritional content and whether it is optimal for their growing babies. Add in the fact that the company tells that more than half of mother in the U.S. fail to meet their nursing goals, and the information revolution that now sheds light on optimal and nutritional feeding practices, and there is definitely room for data-backed insight to advance the true advantages of breastfeeding
“As both Avital and I are working moms and biotech scientists, we saw the need for immediate breast milk results at home and among our friends,” added Hadas-Shatz-Azouly, COO, VP R&D and co-founder of MilkStrip.. “Modern mothers are empowered with lots of general knowledge at their fingertips, but when it comes to science and baby health there are still many unanswered questions. The aim of our diagnostic kits is to bring decision support to mothers in a time of great uncertainty. We help them ensure their children are getting optimal sustenance and nutrition even during a pandemic.”
The Vitamin C Breastmilk Rapid Test detects nutritional deficiencies in breast milk related to vitamin C levels and the Expiration Breastmilk Rapid Test confirms whether or not stored milk is expired. The process utilizes test strips with advanced biology sensors that detect the nutritional composition and freshness of breast milk in 120 seconds, while the results are revealed on the MilkStrip app for better decision making.
MilkStrip was founded in 2017 by Avital Beck and Hadas Shatz-Azoulay, two ultra-orthodox experienced researchers at the famed Weizmann Institute of Science with PhDs in molecular biology. With a passion for innovation, the two are mothers themselves and have experienced first hand the different pains breastfeeding, which they are able to better leverage into a product that truly helps improve motherhood. The company also noted that it would roll out new diagnostic kits come 2021.
