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Exclusive breastfeeding is recommended for newborns until at least the sixth month. However, in some cases, the use of infant formulas as breast milk replacement has been used to provide the nutritional needs of infants. For children over six months baby foods can often be incorporated into the diet. Aluminium (Al) could be present in baby foods and it has potential neurotoxic effects when ingested and absorbed by the organism. In this study, we reviewed Al toxicology, total content and bioaccessibility in several baby food products. The study was performed as a systematic review of scientific literature on the databases Scopus, Science Direct, Web of Science, and Academic Google. Aluminium content varied according to distinct types of baby foods (0.92−2860 mg kg−1). Different analytical methods used to evaluate Al bioaccessibility, including sample preparation and in vitro conditions to simulate the gastrointestinal digestion, indicated that the Al bioaccessible fraction varied from 0.5–48% in the current literature.

An analytical method was developed and validated for the determination of three polyether ionophores (monensin, lasalocid, and salinomycin) in 60 samples of Brazilian Minas Frescal cheese by UHPLC-MS/MS. Linearity ranged from 1 to 8 μg kg

Inorganic contaminants, including those commonly known as ‘heavy metals’ (cadmium, arsenic, lead and mercury) and others like aluminum, copper, zinc, and nickel, may be present in baby foods such as infant formulas, cereals, snacks, prepared meals, and jarred fruits and vegetables. Children, babies and toddlers are more vulnerable to these toxic elements due to their immature development and high ‘food intake/body weight’ ratio. The most important adverse effects of inorganic contaminants for infants include: anemia, nephrotoxicity, developmental, and reproductive toxicity, lower intelligence quotient (IQ), and neurotoxic effects. As this topic represents a relevant food safety issue, this article aims to review recent data about the occurrence of inorganic contaminants in baby foods, regulatory aspects, exposure assessment, as well as analytical methods for their determination. The available information reinforces the importance of standardizing routine quality control and reducing inorganic contaminants levels in infant formula and baby foods.

This paper aimed to survey the occurrence of six polyether ionophores (lasalocid, maduramycin, monensin, narasin, salinomycin and semduramycin) in pasteurized milk using a validated method by liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). For that, 40 samples of pasteurized milk, from seven brands, collected in six locations (supermarkets, grocery stores and greengrocers) in the metropolitan region of Sao Paulo and Campinas, Sao Paulo State, Brazil, were evaluated. Sampling included whole (18), skimmed (8) and semi-skimmed (10) milk as well as lactose-free (4) products. Only monensin antibiotic residues were found in the analyzed samples. This ionophore was confirmed in 45% of the samples and quantified in 32.5% at concentrations ranging from 0.1 to 0.27 μg kg−1. The positive samples were whole or semi-skimmed milk. Considering the levels of monensin reported in the present study and data on milk consumption in Brazil, an exposure assessment indicated that the intake of this antibiotic does not represent a risk to health.

Considering the widespread use of the antibiotic monensin (MON) in the Brazilian livestock and the possibility of residues in milk, this paper aimed to study the stability and fate of this drug during the production of Brazilian Minas Frescal cheese, its effects on milk fermentation and on the physicochemical characteristics of this product. For that, samples of raw milk were fortified with MON at three different nominal concentrations (1.0, 2.0 and 8.0 μg/kg), passed through heat treatment and used to produce Minas Frescal cheese. Pasteurization efficiency was certified by alkaline phosphatase and peroxidase enzyme tests and cheese samples were evaluated for pH, moisture and total protein and fat content. MON residues were determined by LC-MS/MS in the following steps: raw milk, heat-treated milk, whey and cheese. No significant degradation of MON due to heat treatment was observed, suggesting that the drug is resistant to high temperatures. Moreover, the residue levels quantified in cheese and whey demonstrated a concentration of this antibiotic in the curd by about 5-fold, with a small amount of MON being lost during draining. There were no significant differences (p > 0.05) considering the physicochemical parameters evaluated in cheese samples. Fermentation was also not affected by the presence of the drug. The results showed that residues of MON in milk are stable during cheese production and may be concentrated in the final product, as well as indicate the need to establish a MON safe residue level for this food commodity.

The aim of this work was to determine the total concentration and the effect of in vitro digestion on the bioaccessible fraction of aluminum (Al) in 35 different cereal-based baby food samples and estimate the exposure to this element considering the consumption of this product. Total Al content was determined by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry after oxidative microwave digestion. An in vitro digestion method was applied and optimized to evaluate the bioaccessible fraction. The methods performance was efficient for both approached analysis and presented limits of detection and quantitation of 53 μg kg−1 and 89 μg kg−1, respectively. Total concentration and bioaccessibility varied according to the product composition (rice, oat, wheat, barley, corn, multicereal and fruit). Multicereals and fruit-based (plum) cereals presented the highest total Al concentrations (8.82 mg kg−1 and 7.49 mg kg−1, respectively), whilst lower values were observed for corn and rice flour cereals (0.92 mg kg−1 and 1.09 mg kg−1, respectively). The bioaccessible fraction varied from 1.5% to 10.4% in the evaluated samples. Exposure to Al was estimated and compared with the Provisional Tolerable Weekly Intake (PTWI) of 2 mg kg−1 body weight. The results showed that the daily consumption of three portions of cereals contributes up to 10.48% of the PTWI, when considering the total Al concentration reported in this study.