Pune-Based Victuals Lifesciences Uses Technology to Strengthen Human Milk Bank Management and Neonatal Care

Pune, 23rd October 2026: As human milk banks become an increasingly important part of neonatal care in India, Pune-based Victuals Lifesciences is using technology to address operational challenges associated with donor milk collection, processing, storage and distribution. Its Victuals Human Milk Bank Software is designed to digitise milk-bank operations, improve end-to-end traceability and help healthcare institutions maintain standardised processes for managing donor human milk.

In neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) across the country, human milk banks play a critical role in supporting the nutritional needs of premature, low-birth-weight and medically fragile infants whose mothers are unable to provide sufficient breast milk. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends donor human milk for vulnerable infants when their own mother’s milk is unavailable, while emphasising the importance of safe and well-managed milk-banking systems.

A human milk bank involves a series of interconnected processes, including donor recruitment and screening, registration, milk collection, laboratory testing, pasteurisation, storage and allocation to eligible infants. Maintaining accurate records and ensuring traceability at every stage are essential, as any lapse in documentation or handling can pose risks to patient safety.

Traditionally, several of these processes have relied on manual documentation and paper-based records, making consistent monitoring and record management challenging as operations expand. Addressing this gap between manual processes and the precision required for biological safety, Victuals Lifesciences has developed a digital platform to streamline the management of human milk banks.

Digital Technology for End-to-End Milk Traceability

The Victuals Human Milk Bank Software is designed to provide end-to-end tracking of donor milk, from collection through processing and storage to its allocation and administration. According to the company’s product literature, the platform integrates donor selection and registration, processing, storage and allocation into a standardised digital workflow.

The cloud-based software also supports monitoring at critical Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP), a framework used to identify and manage potential hazards, helping reduce the scope for human error. It is intended for use by doctors, nurses, biomedical engineers and milk-bank operators, and can be customised with a hospital’s branding.

The platform enables individual milk containers to be tracked along with the processes performed on them. Its statistical reporting capabilities allow hospital administrators to review operational performance and maintain records for monitoring and auditing purposes. By reducing dependence on paper-based documentation, the software aims to improve consistency, transparency and accountability across milk-bank operations.

As more hospitals establish human milk banks, standardisation and reliable record management are becoming increasingly important. Fragmented workflows and incomplete records can make it difficult to maintain uninterrupted traceability across the entire process. Digital systems such as the Victuals platform seek to address these challenges by bringing key operational activities together within a single system.

Strengthening Neonatal Care Through Better Milk-Bank Management

The importance of well-managed human milk banks extends beyond hospital operations. Research has associated donor human milk with a lower incidence of necrotising enterocolitis, a serious intestinal condition affecting vulnerable newborns, compared with formula feeding in relevant clinical settings.

The WHO has also highlighted the importance of appropriate feeding practices for low-birth-weight infants in supporting their immediate survival and longer-term development. In this context, effective human milk bank management is an important component of neonatal healthcare, where safety, quality and timely access to donor milk are essential.

By digitising operational workflows and supporting traceability, Victuals Lifesciences aims to help healthcare institutions improve milk-bank management while providing a digital foundation for operational analysis and research.

Healthcare Expertise Meets Technology

The platform brings together healthcare expertise and technology-driven product design through the work of Vrushali Deshpande and Sourabh Mane.

Vrushali Deshpande, Co-founder of Victuals Software , a healthcare entrepreneur and technology expert, has nearly two decades of experience in healthcare innovation, with a specific focus on human milk banking. She has led turnkey milk-banking projects across India and has contributed to advancing human milk banking and lactation management in the country.

Sourabh Mane has played a central role in the development of the Victuals platform, leading its product design and user experience from its early stages. Drawing on his expertise in Human-Computer Interaction and experience designing healthcare and AI-driven products, Mane focused on translating complex milk-banking operations into intuitive digital workflows for healthcare professionals. His contributions span the platform’s interface design, data visualisation, and the integration of critical operational processes into a unified system. The platform has since been implemented at several major healthcare institutions across India.

Commenting on the initiative, Sourabh Mane, Co-founder of Victuals Software, said, “Human milk banking involves complex processes where accuracy, traceability, and safety are essential. Our goal is to simplify these operations for healthcare professionals while minimizing human errors. By bringing together intuitive operational workflows, we aim to improve the efficiency of milk banks and support better neonatal care & research.”

Technology for the Future of Human Milk Banking

The future of human milk banking in India will depend not only on equipment and infrastructure but also on how effectively people, processes and technology work together. As the sector grows, digital solutions that support standardised workflows, reliable documentation and end-to-end traceability can play an important role in improving operational efficiency and sustainability.

Through its human milk bank software, Victuals Lifesciences aims to support this transition by helping healthcare institutions strengthen milk-bank management and maintain better oversight of the processes involved in delivering donor human milk to vulnerable newborns.

Often referred to as “liquid gold,” human milk is a valuable resource in neonatal care. Ensuring that every eligible donation is handled safely, remains traceable and reaches the infant who needs it is central to the role of well-managed human milk banks.