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Powdered infant formulas are manufactured by dissolving dried ingredients in water or skimmed milk, which is then followed by pasteurization, homogenization, concentration in a vacuum evaporator and drying in spray dryer. Due to this large number of thermal processes, the formulas are subject to a series of reactions that can negatively impact their quality, among them the Maillard reaction. It is the result of chemical reactions between a carbonyl group of the reducing sugar and a free amino group of the protein or amino acid. During prolonged heating or storage of the powdered infant formula, a wide variety of reactive compounds are formed, which can then polymerize with protein residues and form dark pigments or melanoidins. The Maillard reaction is affected by several factors including pH, temperature, water activity, type of reducing sugar and presence of metals. It can result in numerous consequences, such as: an unavailability of amino acids, solubility loss, increase the allergenicity of certain proteins, and even impediment of mineral absorption. Much research is still needed to understand the consequences of the Maillard reaction in powdered infant formulas in order to find solutions that provide foods with high nutritional properties and are safe for the consumer.

Breast milk as the children’s primary source of nutrition fulfills the babies’ needs and can also provide immune protection. In some cases, when mothers are not able to breastfeed, an equivalent substitute is required. Nowadays, the best substitutes of the human breast milk are infant formulas. Different technological routes may be designed to produce infant formulas according to the main challenges: the compromise between food safety and heat treatment damage. This article aimed to review the current scientific knowledge about how heat treatment affects the macro and micronutrients of milk, extrapolating the expected effects on infant formulas. The covered topics were: The definition and composition of infant formulas, industrial methods of infant formulas production, the effects of heat treatment on milk macro and micronutrients.

No abstract

O primeiro alimento do lactente corresponde ao leite materno o qual deve, dentre outras funções, suprir as necessidades nutricionais da criança e gerar proteção imunológica. Em certos casos, mães podem ser ver impossibilitadas de realizar o aleitamento materno, necessitando de substitutos. Hoje o substituto que melhor mimetiza o leite humano corresponde às formulas infantis. Para elaboração deste alimento são necessários sucessivos tratamentos térmicos os quais podem ocasionar para o produto problemas tanto do ponto de vista tecnológico e sensorial quanto do plano nutricional o que pode acarretar em prejuízos para a saúde da criança. Portanto, as indústrias alimentícias precisam gradativamente aprimorar as técnicas de elaboração das fórmulas infantis com a finalidade de se igualar cada dia mais ao leite materno diminuindo assim as suas consequências negativas para a saúde da criança