LC-Orbitrap-MS/MS Analysis of Chosen Glycation Products in Infant Formulas

Area of Science:

• Food Chemistry
• Analytical Chemistry
• Pediatric Nutrition

Background:

• Infant formulas are a crucial alternative to human milk when breastfeeding is not possible.
• Thermal processing of infant formulas can generate harmful advanced glycation end-products (AGEs).
• Early-life exposure to AGEs is linked to increased risk of chronic diseases later in life.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a sensitive analytical method for quantifying AGEs in infant formulas.
• To assess the levels of specific AGEs in various commercial infant formulas.
• To evaluate the dietary exposure to AGEs from infant formula consumption.

Main Methods:

• Liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was employed.
• A multistep sample pretreatment procedure was utilized for complex matrices.
• Five AGEs were quantified: Nε-carboxyethyllysine (CEL), Nε-carboxymethyllysine (CML), furosine, glyoxal lysine dimer (GOLD), and methylglyoxal lysine dimer (MOLD).

Main Results:

• No significant differences in AGE content were observed between initial and follow-on formulas or among different manufacturers.
• Liquid infant formulas exhibited significantly higher concentrations of CML compared to powder forms.
• Estimated daily dietary exposure to tested AGEs ranged from 42.5-92.6 μg/day, with furosine levels approaching 2 mg/day.

Conclusions:

• The developed LC-MS/MS method is effective for determining AGEs in infant formula matrices.
• Liquid infant formulas may lead to greater exposure to certain AGEs, particularly CML.
• Further research into mitigating AGE formation during infant formula processing is warranted.