DETERMINATION OF SOME ELEMENT CONCENTRATIONS OF FIRST INFANT MILK FORMULA AND HEALTH RISK ASSESSMENT

Abstract

Breast milk is suggested as the best method for baby nourishment by The World Health Organization (WHO, 2003). However, in some cases, breastfeeding is not possible due to different metabolic reasons. In such cases, an infant formula that is similar to the breast milk content is designed to meet infant nourishment requirements during the first 6 months after birth. It is important to know the content of infant milk formula for a baby’s health. The purpose of this presented study is to determine the elemental (Fe, Cu, Al, Cd, As, Ni, Ba) contents of the four different brands of first infant milk formula sold in the Turkish markets. Elemental contents of samples were identified by Inductively Coupled Plasma Atomic Emission Spectrometer (ICP-OES) after a microwave digestion process. Target hazard quotients (THQ) of analyzed elements were calculated and risk analyses were conducted. According to the results, the hazard indexes (HI) of infant milk formula samples were founded as less than 1 and all samples were included in the low risk group.