A Novel Infant Nutrition System Precisely Delivers Hygienic Reconstituted Formula

Abstract

Powdered infant formula is conventionally supplied in multi‐serve packaging and reconstituted following multiple manual preparation steps. An advanced infant nutrition system, combining a dedicated dispenser with single‐serve capsules of powdered formula, was designed to precisely deliver hygienic reconstituted formula in < 1 min. To test the performance (technical reliability and quality of reconstituted formula), a field study was conducted at three hospitals in Switzerland with a prototype system, where hospital staff used the system (n = 4) to reconstitute formula when needed by infants. Only 22 (0.9%) of the 2445 bottles prepared over the 4‐mo period encountered preparation difficulties. After reconstitution, 93% of the 2445 capsules showed no solid residue, and 5% had only a few small lumps, suggesting good solubility. Additional preparations were conducted in hospitals to assess the dilution precision and microbiological quality of reconstitutes. The target for reconstituted formula weight (±3g) was met by 89% of the 252 bottles tested, suggesting good technical precision of formula dilution. 100% of the reconstituted formula tested negative for Enterobacteriaceae (n=281) and Salmonella (n=262), and Aerobic Mesophilic Count was <100 cfu/ml in 83% and <1000 cfu/ml in 98% of 276 bottles, which met CODEX good quality specification after reconstitution. Interviews with hospital staff (n=74) revealed that the system was preferred over conventional formula preparation partially due to its ease of use. In sum, these data indicate that the new infant nutrition system ensures a hygienic, safe, precise and convenient preparation for each feeding.Funded by Nestec S.A.