Aluminium content of Spanish infant formula

• Published in: Food additives and contaminants Vol. 20; no. 5; pp. 470 - 481
• Main Authors: Navarro-Blasco, I., Alvarez-Galindo, J. I.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Taylor & Francis Group 01.05.2003; Taylor & Francis
• Subjects: Aluminium; Aluminum - administration & dosage; Aluminum - analysis; Biological and medical sciences; Daily Intake; Drinking Water; Food Analysis - methods; Food Contamination - analysis; Food industries; Food toxicology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Humans; Infant; Infant Food - analysis; Infant Formula; Infant, Newborn; Maximum Allowable Concentration; Milk, Human - chemistry; Provisional Tolerable Weekly Intake (PTWI); Quality Assurance, Health Care; Research and development. New food products, dietetic foods and beverages; Spain; Spectrophotometry, Atomic; Water Supply - analysis; Europe; Spain; daily intake; Molecular interaction; provisional tolerable weekly intake (PTWI); Aluminium; Tap water; Trace element; Surveillance; Infant food; Quality control; drinking water; Daily dose; Infant formula; Quantitative analysis; Chemical contamination
• ISSN: 0265-203X; 1464-5122
• DOI: 10.1080/0265203031000098704

Levels of aluminium in 82 different infant formulae from nine different manufacturers in Spain were determined by acid-microwave digestion and graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The influence of aluminium content in tap water in reconstituted powder formulae was examined and an estimate was made of the theoretical toxic aluminium intake in comparison with the provisional tolerable weekly intake (PTWI). Possible interactions between aluminium and certain essential trace elements added to infant formulations have been studied according to the type or main protein-based infant formula. In general, the infant formulae contained a higher aluminium content than that found in human milk, especially in the case of soya, preterm or hydrolysed casein-based formulae. Standard formulae gave lower aluminium intakes amounting to about 4% PTWI. Specialized and preterm formulae resulted in a moderate intake (11-12 and 8-10% PTWI, respectively) and soya formulae contributed the highest intake (15% PTWI). Aluminium exposure from drinking water used for powder formula reconstitution was not considered a potential risk. In accordance with the present state of knowledge about aluminium toxicity, it seems prudent to call for continued efforts to standardize routine quality control and reduce aluminium levels in infant formula as well as to keep the aluminium concentration under 300 μg l -1 for all infant formulae, most specifically those formulae for premature and low birth neonates.