Marwa A. Kotb 1, Mohamed F. Farahat 1,2*, Hesham B. El-Daree1
1Department of Nutrition, High Institute of Public Health, Alexandria University, Egypt, 2 Department of Community Health Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud University, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
*Corresponding Author: Professor Mohamed Fawzi Farahat. E-mail address: [email protected]
ABSTRACT
Background: Infant formula is a synthetic version of mothers’ milk belongs to a class of materials known as dairy substitutes. Although the World Health Organization recommends breastfeeding as the best feeding choice, infant formulas remain an alternative to breast-milk and plays an important role in infant’s diet. The composition of most infant formulas has been increasingly altered to create a product which attempts to be as similar to breast milk as possible. Objective: to analyze the chemical composition of some popular brands of infant formulas sold in Alexandria, Egypt and to compare to the results with those declared by the producers. Materials and Methods: Fifteen formulas were collected from three different types (ordinary, lactose free, and extra care formulas) and analyzed for their proximate principles, mineral and vitamin contents. Results: The highest proximate principles contents were in ordinary formulas except for moisture content where lactose free formula had the highest percentage (2.55±0.02). The actual protein and fat contents were lower than that declared on the label in all formulas except in ordinary formula (brand 2) and lactose free formula in their protein contents. The highest mineral contents were in ordinary formulas specially (brands 1 and 2), except for iron where lactose free formula had the highest contents (6.35±0.04 ppm). The highest contents of vitamins A, D and E were in ordinary formulas (brand 1), ordinary formulas (brand 2) and extra care formulas (587.0 μg, 10.68 mg and 15.2 μg/100 g; respectively), moreover, the actual vitamin contents were lower than that declared by the manufacturer in all formulas except for ordinary formulas (brand 1) in their vitamin A and D, ordinary formulas (brand 2) in their vitamin D and E contents and except for extra care in their vitamin E contents. Conclusion: There were discrepancies between the actual chemical composition of infant formulas and those declared by the manufactures on their labels. Further studies are required to evaluate the chemical composition of infant formulas on a greater number of samples and a wider diversity of brands to ensure the accuracy of the contents declared on their label.
Keywords: Infant Milk Formulas, Proximate Principles, Vitamins, Minerals, Egypt
Citation: Kotb MA, Farahat MF, El-Daree HB. Chemical composition of infant milk formulas sold in Alexandria, Egypt. Canad J Clin Nutr 2016; 4 (1): 4-17.
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.14206/canad.j.clin.nutr.2016.01.02
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