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Commercial 'ready-to-feed' infant foods in the UK: Macro-nutrient content and composition

Commercial 'ready-to-feed' infant foods in the UK: Macro-nutrient content and composition

Zand Fard, Nazanin ORCID: 0000-0003-2058-2354, Chowdhry, Babur Z., Pollard, Lucie V., Pullen, Frank, Snowden, Martin J. ORCID: 0000-0002-1087-2692 and Zotor, Francis (2012) Commercial 'ready-to-feed' infant foods in the UK: Macro-nutrient content and composition. Maternal & Child Nutrition, 11 (2). pp. 202-214. ISSN 1740-8695 (Print), 1740-8709 (Online) (doi:https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1740-8709.2012.00445.x)

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Abstract

Quantitative analyses of the macronutrient content of eight popular commercial ‘ready-to-feed’ baby meals for 6–9-month old infants in the UK market have been undertaken in order to ascertain their nutritional suitability in relation to the total daily dietary intake as well as nutritional profiling of the products. The chemical analyses conducted included Kjeldhal for protein, acid hydrolysis and extraction for fat, phenol sulphuric acid for carbohydrate and Association of Official Analytical Chemists 985.29 for fibre. The only difference found between different varieties (meat- and vegetable-based) was with respect to the protein content (P = 0.04) per 100 g of food. The experimentally determined concentrations of macronutrients (g/100 kcal) were compared with the declared values provided by the manufacturers on the product labels and, despite some variations, the values obtained comply with regulatory requirements (Commission Directive 2006/125/EC). The total daily intake of fat (27.0 g per day) – based on the menu composed from commercial complementary food – is suggested to exceed the daily recommended values for fat (31%), if the intake of snacks and desserts are incorporated. These findings imply that the formulation of recipes, based on a standard commercial menu, is an important consideration in relation to the nutritional quality of the diet of infants.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: commercial, complementary, baby food, macronutrients, chemical analysis, nutritional profiling, labelling and legislation
Subjects: Q Science > QD Chemistry
R Medicine > RA Public aspects of medicine
Pre-2014 Departments: School of Science
Last Modified: 12 Jan 2021 10:40
URI: http://gala.gre.ac.uk/id/eprint/9345

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