Bioaccessibility of some minerals in infant formulas.

Abstract

To guarantee the adequate intake of nutrients a

variety of food supplementation (including infant formu- las) has been used to ensure the nutrition of infants. Con- sidering that the total concentration of nutrients is not

enough to determine whether the food provides all the

nutritional needs, the objective of this study was to eval- uate the total concentration and bioaccessibility of some

elements in thirty commercial infant formulas consumed in Brazil. A standardized in vitro gastrointestinal digestion method was used to obtain the soluble fraction of each mineral, which was analyzed by ICP OES after microwave oxidative digestion to obtain the bioaccessibility values. The total concentration and the bioaccessibility of the elements varied considerably according to the sample type (traditional infant formulas, formulas for infants with

gastrointestinal problems, formulas for premature and soy- based). The bioaccessibility values are 3–43% (Ca),

53–97% (Cu), 35–100% (Fe), 70–114% (K), 47–90% (Mg), 52–95% (P), 31–92% (Zn). In general, the total concentration values for the elements were higher than that

declared by the manufacturers, also than the current leg- islation as well, regarding the DRI. Although these results,

it is important to emphasize that the consumption of infant formulas can provide an adequate intake of minerals for the infants.