P1033 - COMPARISON OF THE LIPID AND FATTY ACID COMPOSITION OF INFANT FORMULAE IN HUNGARY

P1033

COMPARISON OF THE LIPID AND FATTY ACID COMPOSITION OF INFANT FORMULAE IN HUNGARY

S. Nagy^1,*, G. Tóth², T. Marosvölgyi³, É. Szabó⁴

¹Doctoral School of Health Sciences , Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pécs, ²Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pécs, ³Institute of Bioanalysis, ⁴Department of Biochemistry and Medical Chemistry, Medical School, University of Pécs, Pécs, Hungary

Rationale: The use of infant formulas has become increasingly widespread both in clinical settings and in everyday life, driven by advances in formula development. Some components, such as lipid, linoleic acid and alpha-linolenic acid content, are regulated, whereas others are not. Nervonic acid, an essential structural component of the brain, is present in only a subset of formulas. Therefore, our aim was to investigate the fat content and fatty acid profiles of powdered infant and follow-on formulas available on the Hungarian market, with a special focus on nervonic acid.

Methods: A total of 12 powdered infant formulas with different indications were analyzed. The lipid content was determined by gravimetry, while the fatty acid composition of the formulas was determined by gas chromatography.

Results: We found a significant discrepancy (p<0.001) between declared and measured lipid content. Some formulas had a higher lipid content than allowed, but only when calculated per 100 kcal. There was considerable variability in the amounts of medium chain fatty acids (mean: 0.1-51.9 w/w%) and oleic acid (mean: 20.4-71.9 w/w%) between the formulas, while the amounts of regulated fatty acids (such as linoleic acid and alpha-linolenic acid) showed little variability between samples. We were able to detect nervonic acid in all the formulas analyzed. All fatty acids complied with current regulatory standards, with none exceeding the maximum permitted levels.

Conclusion: In half of the formulas, the fat content was higher than stated on the label. While the levels of the regulated fatty acids remained relatively constant, there was considerable variation in the levels of other fatty acids, depending on the intended use of the formula according to the manufacturer.

Disclosure of Interest: None declared