Nutritional Quality of Commercial Fruit Baby Food

Abstract

Commercial fruit baby food is a preserved fruit product usually made with fruit purees, sugar, water and variable additives (thickening agents, antioxidants, etc.). As the foodstuffs intended for particular nutritional uses, baby foods for infants and young children conforms to a set of strict guidelines e.g. maximum levels for pesticide residues, microbiological contamination, addition of additives, labelling, etc. However, being an important supplement to children diet and/or for their progressive adaptation to ordinary food, the nutritional quality of commercial fruit baby food in very important. Ten samples of commercial fruit baby food from the market were analysed for the fruit content, ascorbic acid and total polyphenols content and total antioxidant capacity determined by DPPH method. Hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) and furfural content were followed as the time-temperature effort indicators. The method for the estimation of fruit content in products was based on the concentration of glucose, fructose, sorbitol, potassium, formol number, malic and citric acid, phosphorus, ash and refractive index and the results were compared with the Code of practice of AIJN and literature sources. The study indicates that there are big differences in composition and quality of commercial fruit baby food, whereas some samples contain fruits only, another products are diluted with significant amount of sugar, water and starchy fillers.