EVALUATION OF THE MINERAL COMPOSITION OF INFANT FORMULAS

The composition of modified milk for babies is based on the model of breast milk. Milk replacement formulas are produced on the basis of cow's milk so it is necessary to modify all the nutrients in order to make them resemble most closely the model. Determination of babies' nutritional requirements is based on the knowledge of women's breast milk, which is regarded the best possible food in the first period of infant life. The concentration of mineral elements in breast milk is low and the total content of ash amounts to 0.2 g.dl(-1). The content of sodium, potassium and chlorine is three times as low as in cow's milk. The source of individual elements for babies is their food, though some elements are provided in drinking water and supplements. Typically, mineral elements are absorbed more effectively in the periods of intensive growth. It should be remembered that the mineral elements found in breast milk are characterised by much higher bioavailability than those present in modified milk. The major requirement for modified milk to be registered and authorised for sale in Poland is the conformity of its mineral composition with international recommendations. The objective of the present work was to establish the content of mineral components in powdered milk used in the nutrition of infants in the first months of their lives. All the examined preparations were labelled as "a special nutrition product". They were purchased in different groceries in Lublin in October 2007, all before their use-by date. The shares of Mg, Zn, Cu, Ca, Mn, Na, Fe and K were marked in the samples. It was demonstrated that all the examined milk samples contained much more Ca and Cu in comparison to recommended norms, whereas they were deficient in Mg and Mn.