Gasparre Nicola, Mefleh Marina, Boukid Fatma
Department of Food and Human Nutritional Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2, Canada.
Department of Soil, Plant and Food Science (DISSPA), University of Bari Aldo Moro, I-70126 Bari, Italy.
Plants (Basel). 2022 Sep 27;11(19):2531. doi: 10.3390/plants11192531.
One of the current drivers of the infant food market is the rising demand for vegan products, and thus accurate knowledge of their nutritional composition is required to guide parents and health professionals. Thus, this study aimed to assess the nutritional composition of commercial plant-based infant foods, in addition to analyzing their health/nutrition claims. A selection of infant products launched in the global market (2017-2021) were classified into eight types and each type was divided into vegan and vegetarian products. Based on the ingredients list, cereals, seeds, pseudocereals and/or pulses were the most used ingredients in the retrieved products. The nutritional composition of six out eight types varied significantly among vegan and vegetarian products. When protein, calcium and iron contents differed significantly, vegan products had the highest protein content in all categories, compared to those that were vegetarian. When significant differences were found in sugar content, vegan products have lower amounts in all categories, compared to vegetarian products. Health and nutrition claims were found mostly used in vegetarian products. Strategies to reduce added sodium and sugar, and saturated fatty acids is required to ensure a healthy diet for infants. This study also implies the importance of a complete labelling of infants' foods, especially vegan products to help parents making a reasonable choice.
婴儿食品市场当前的驱动因素之一是对纯素产品的需求不断上升，因此需要准确了解其营养成分，以指导家长和健康专业人士。因此，本研究旨在评估市售植物基婴儿食品的营养成分，并分析其健康/营养声明。对全球市场（2017 - 2021年）推出的一系列婴儿产品进行分类，分为八种类型，每种类型又分为纯素产品和素食产品。根据成分列表，谷物、种子、伪谷物和/或豆类是所检索产品中使用最多的成分。八种类型中的六种，其营养成分在纯素产品和素食产品之间存在显著差异。当蛋白质、钙和铁含量存在显著差异时，与素食产品相比，纯素产品在所有类别中蛋白质含量最高。当糖含量存在显著差异时，与素食产品相比，纯素产品在所有类别中的含量较低。健康和营养声明大多出现在素食产品中。需要采取策略减少添加钠、糖和饱和脂肪酸，以确保婴儿的健康饮食。本研究还表明了婴儿食品完整标签的重要性，尤其是纯素产品，以帮助家长做出合理选择。
