Determination of Trace Elements in Infant Formulas Available on Polish Market

The aim of this study was to assess the levels of 13 essential and toxic elements (As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, Se, V, Zn) in the infant formulas, available on Polish market. Selected food samples were of animal (cow- and goat-based milks) and plant (soy-based milk, hypoallergic products, grain porridges) origin. Two analytical techniques, inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and neutron activation analysis (NAA), have been complementarily applied to analyze elemental content of 16 formulas dedicated for infants between 0 and 8 months. For arsenic determinations, the radiochemical mode of NAA was also used. The daily intake of some micronutrients in the age 0-8 months for non-breastfed infants was estimated and compared with present safety limits. Certified reference materials (CRMs) have been used for the validation of the methods: Non-fat Milk Powder 1549 (National Bureau of Standards-NBS), Soya Bean Flour INCT-SBF-4 (Institute of Nuclear Chemistry and Technology-INCT), Rice Flour SRM 1568b (National Institute of Standards and Technology-NIST).