TITLE:
Assessment of Lipid Quality and Composition of Commercial Infant Milk Formulas in Mexico: Emphasis on Trans Fatty Acid Isomers
AUTHORS:
Ayala-Moreno María del Rosario, Fernández-Callejas José María Salvador, Maldonado-Hernández Jorge
KEYWORDS:
Infant Formulas, Milk, Lipid Quality, TransFatty Acids
JOURNAL NAME:
Food and Nutrition Sciences,
Vol.7 No.4,
April
27,
2016
ABSTRACT: Objective: To assess the lipid quality focusing on trans fatty acids (TFA) content of standardized
milk formulas marketed in Mexico for infants aged from 0 to 36 months. Material and Methods: A
total of 27 infant formulas from eight different leading brands were analyzed. Nine of them
belonged to stage 1 (age
12 months). Acquired products were treated by duplicate for extraction of total lipid content with
the modified Folch method before their expiration date. Fatty acids were esterified in an alkaline
medium followed by an acid-catalyzed esterification. Analysis was performed on a gas chromatograph
(5890 Series II; Hewlett-Packard, USA) with a flame ionization detector. Results: Thirty-four
fatty acids (C8 to C22) were identified. Most products complied with ESPHAGAN compositional
requirements. Only one product exceeded the suggested limit (>3%) for TFA. Long chain polyunsaturated
fatty acids (LC-PUFAs) content was consistently meager (≈78%), with low amounts of
arachidonic (Conclusion: Most milk formulas complied
with ESPHAGAN global recommendations. The content of TFA and LC-PUFAs was scarce in
the majority of samples.