Infant feeding survey.

Natural sweeteners: Sources, extraction and current uses in foods and food industries

Complementary feeding (CF) is an important determinant of early and later life nutrition with great implications for the health status and the development of an adequate growth. Parents can choose between homemade foods (HMFs) and/or commercial infant foods (CIFs). There is no consistent evidence as to whether HMFs provide a better nutritional profile and variety over CIFs. The aim of this study was to compare the nutritional profiles and food variety of HMFs versus CIFs in the Spanish market targeted for infants (6-11 months) and young children (12-18 months). Thirty mothers with their children aged 6 to 18 months were included in this cross-sectional study, following a 3-day weighed food diary of which HMFs were collected and chemically analyzed. HMFs meals for infant provided significantly lower energy, higher protein and higher fiber, for young children provided significantly higher protein and fiber than CIFs meals. HMFs fruit purees for infant shown significantly higher fiber and for young children provided higher energy than CIFs. HMFs meals contained a significantly greater number of different vegetables than CIFs meals (3.7 vs. 3.3), with carrot as the most frequently used in both. However, in CIFs fruit purees shown higher different fruits than HMFs, in both the banana was the fruit most frequently used. There was a predominance of meat and lack of oily fish and legumes in both HMFs and CIFs meals. HMFs and CIFs were equally characterized by a soft texture and yellow-orange colours. Importantly, our findings emphasize the need for clear guidelines for the preparation of HMFs as well as the promotion of food variety (taste and textures) in both HMFs and CIFs to suit infants' and young children's nutritional and developmental needs.

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Are Homemade and Commercial Infant Foods Different? A Nutritional Profile and Food Variety Analysis in Spain

There is a need to improve the nutritional and functional characteristics of breakfast cereal products (BCP) consumed worldwide, namely by increasing the content and diversity of dietary fibre and enrichment in micronutrients and bioactive compounds. Considering the high amounts of fruit and vegetable by-products (FVB) generated by industrial processing, the associated environmental issues but also their richness in nutrients and phytochemicals, FVB show great potential for incorporation in BCP, thus improving the nutritional and functional aspects of these products. The transformation of FVB into flours/powders results in added-value ingredients rich in fibre and bioactive compounds (e.g., phenolic compounds, carotenoids, prebiotics). The extrusion processing (used to produce BCP) is an affordable technique that uses flours as raw material. This work reviews extrusion processing to produce BCP supplemented with FVB powders and discusses the main effects on the final products associated with composition and processing characteristics. Additionally, advantages and challenges of introducing FVB powders into BCP are also reviewed and discussed. Key Findings and Conclusions: The use of the FVB flours to create richer BCP in several types of fibre and phenolic compounds appears to be a promising strategy to create nutritionally valuable BCP. By simultaneously valorising FVB, this strategy also contributes positively to the food system sustainability from a circular economy point of view. The use of FVB flours may improve fibre, micronutrient, and bioactive compounds content. High fibre content reduces texture quality of products, but extrusion processing allows to adjust production variables to overcome the potential decrease in sensory quality. 

Potential nutritional and functional improvement of extruded breakfast cereals based on incorporation of fruit and vegetable by-products - A review

Objective To assess how the baby food market in the UK has changed between 2013 and 2019. Setting United Kingdom. Design A cross-sectional survey of all infant food products available to buy in the UK online and in-store collected in 2019. Nutritional content and product descriptions were recorded and compared with an existing 2013 database. Main outcome measures Change in the proportion of products marketed to infants aged 4 months, proportion classified as sweet versus savoury, spoonable versus dry (snacks) average sugar content. Results Fewer products were described as suitable for infants aged 4 months in 2019 (201, 23%) compared with 2013 (178, 43%; p Conclusions Fewer foods are now marketed to infants aged 4 months, but there has been no overall reduction in the sweetness of products and the increase in snack foods and the sweetness of savoury foods is a concern.

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Changes in the UK baby food market surveyed in 2013 and 2019: the rise of baby snacks and sweet/savoury foods

Ready to eat breakfast cereals (REBCs) and yoghurts provide important nutrients to children’s diets, but concerns about their high sugar content exist. Food reformulation could contribute to sugar reduction, but policies across countries are not uniform. We aimed to compare the sugar content and nutritional quality of child-orientated REBCs and yoghurts in Latin American countries with the UK. In a cross-sectional study, nutritional information, marketing strategies, and claims were collected from the food labels and packaging of products available in Guatemala, Mexico, Ecuador and the UK. Nutritional quality was assessed using the UK Ofcom Nutrient Profiling System. In total, 262 products were analysed (59% REBCs/41% yoghurts). REBCs in the UK had a lower sugar content (mean ± SD) (24.6 ± 6.4) than products in Ecuador (34.6 ± 10.8; p < 0.001), Mexico (32.6 ± 7.6; p = 0.001) and Guatemala (31.5 ± 8.3; p = 0.001). Across countries, there were no differences in the sugar content of yoghurts. A large proportion (83%) of REBCs and 33% of yoghurts were classified as “less healthy”. In conclusion, the sugar content of REBCs in Latin America is higher than those of the UK, which could be attributed to the UK voluntary sugar reduction programme. Sugar reformulation policies are required in Guatemala, Mexico and Ecuador.

José David Ronquillo

Papers

Changes in the UK baby food market surveyed in 2013 and 2019: the rise of baby snacks and sweet/savoury foods

Sugar Content and Nutritional Quality of Child Orientated Ready to Eat Cereals and Yoghurts in the UK and Latin America; Does Food Policy Matter?