Association Between Breastmilk Microbiota and Food Allergy in Infants

Regulating the composition of human breastmilk has the potential to prevent allergic diseases early in life. The composition of breastmilk is complex, comprising varying levels of oligosaccharides, immunoactive molecules, vitamins, metabolites, and microbes. Although several studies have examined the relationship between different components of breastmilk and infant food allergies, few have investigated the relationship between microorganisms in breastmilk and infant food allergy. In the present study, we selected 135 healthy pregnant women and their full-term newborns from a cohort of 202 mother–infant pairs. Among them, 69 infants were exclusively breastfed until 6 mo after birth. At follow-up, 11 of the 69 infants developed a food allergy in infancy while 22 showed no signs of allergy. Thirty-three breastmilk samples were collected within 1 mo after delivery, and 123 infant fecal samples were collected at five time points following their birth. These samples were analyzed using microbial 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The abundance and evenness of the milk microbiota and the number of differential bacteria were higher in the breastmilk samples from the non-allergy group than in those from the food allergy group. The non-allergy group showed relatively high abundance of Bifidobacterium, Akkermansia, Clostridium IV, Clostridium XIVa, Veillonella, and butyrate-producing bacteria such as Fusobacterium, Lachnospiraceae incertae sedis, Roseburia, and Ruminococcus. In contrast, the abundance of Proteobacteria, Acinetobacter, and Pseudomonas in breastmilk was higher in the food allergy group. A comparison of the changes in dominant differential breastmilk microbiota in the intestinal flora of the two groups of infants over time revealed that the changes in Bifidobacterium abundance were consistent with those in the breastmilk flora. Functional pathway prediction of breastmilk microflora showed that the enhancement of the metabolic pathways of tyrosine, tryptophan, and fatty acids was significantly different between the groups. We suggest that changes in the breastmilk microbiota can influence the development of food allergies. Breastmilk contains several microbes that have protective effects against food allergies, both by influencing the colonization of intestinal microbiota and by producing butyrate. This study may provide new ideas for improving infant health through early intervention with probiotics.

Infant Food Responsiveness in the Context of Temperament and Mothers' Use of Food to Soothe

Parents' use of food to soothe an infants' non-hunger related distress may impair an infants' development of appetite self-regulation. Parents tend to use food to soothe if their infant has more ‘difficult' temperamental tendencies. However, the role of infant appetite in this association is unclear. This study investigates the moderating effect of infant food responsiveness on cross-sectional and prospective associations between infant temperament and mothers' use of food to soothe. Mothers (n = 200) from low-income households reported their infants' temperament (i.e., surgency, negative affect and regulation) and food responsiveness at age 4 months, and their use of food to soothe at age 4 and 6 months. Temperament × food responsiveness interactions on mothers' use of food to soothe were examined using general linear models, adjusting for covariates. Cross-sectional associations showed that mothers used more food to soothe at 4 months for infants who were lower in negative affect and higher in food responsiveness (negative affect × food responsiveness interaction: p = 0.03). Prospective associations showed that mothers used more food to soothe at 6 months for infants who were lower in regulation and higher in food responsiveness (infant regulation × food responsiveness interaction: p = 0.009). Other interactions were not significant. Infant food responsiveness was consistently associated with mothers' use of food to soothe, independent of some temperamental dimensions. The findings highlight the salience of infant food responsiveness, both independent of and in association with temperament, on mothers' use of food to soothe.

Bacteroides Microbial Source Tracking Markers Perform Poorly in Predicting Enterobacteriaceae and Enteric Pathogen Contamination of Cow Milk Products and Milk-Containing Infant Food

Consumption of microbiologically contaminated food is one of the leading causes of diarrheal diseases. Understanding the source of enteric pathogens in food is important to guide effective interventions. Enterobacteriaceae bacterial assays typically used to assess food safety do not shed light on the source. Source-specific Bacteroides microbial source tracking (MST) markers have been proposed as alternative indicators for water fecal contamination assessment but have not been evaluated as an alternative fecal indicator in animal-derived foods. This study tested various milk products collected from vendors in urban Kenyan communities and infant foods made with the milk (n = 394 pairs) using conventional culture methods and TaqMan qPCR for enteric pathogens and human and bovine-sourced MST markers. Detection profiles of various enteric pathogens and Bacteroides MST markers in milk products differed from that of milk-containing infant foods. MST markers were more frequently detected in infant food prepared by caregivers, indicating recent contamination events were more likely to occur during food preparation at home. However, Bacteroides MST markers had lower sensitivity in detecting enteric pathogens in food than traditional Enterobacteriaceae indicators. Bacteroides MST markers tested in this study were not associated with the detection of culturable Salmonella enterica and Shigella sonnei in milk products or milk-containing infant food. The findings show that while Bacteroides MST markers could provide valuable information about how foods become contaminated, they may not be suitable for predicting the origin of the enteric pathogen contamination sources.

Proximate analysis and formulation of weaning food using germinated cereals, pulses and ground nut

A combination of nutritionally inferior diets and improper feeding practices are major contributing factors to the development of childhood malnutrition. Complementary feeding improvement should be of highest priority for nutrition of infant and young children containing all essential nutrients at required amount. The objective of this study was designed to investigate the inclusion of weaning food formulation and evaluating compositional and functional properties of the products. The analysis undertaken in this study was infant food formulation, proximate composition, mineral concentration and sensory properties. The moisture content in this study ranged from 1.49 ± 0.12 to 3.89 ±0.12, crude protein from 15.09 ± 0.05 to 16.79± 0.01, crude fat from 11.11 ± 0.07 to 12.80 ± 0.00, total ash from 2.06 ± 0.03 to 2.21 ± 0.00, carbohydrate from 65.9740 ± 0.24 to 68.2641 ± 0.14 and energy value ranged from 431.68 ± 0.05 to 449.18 ± 0.57. From the result provided, sample-A contained the highest protein, moisture, fat content than sample-B. But carbohydrate and energy are highest in sample-B than sample-A. The two macro minerals mg/100 g of Ca and Zn in the study were ranged from lower 0.60±0.07 to 0.79±0.01 and 1.05±0.01 to 2.44±0.06 respectively. Beta-carotene is varied from 0.90±o.01 to 1.17±0.00. Sensory parameters such as colour, appearance, texture, taste, aroma and overall acceptability is high in sample-A than to sample-B. Finally, from the general trend observed in this study that both the weaning foods prepared from cereal, legume, pulse flour provided better nutritional and functional compositions to meet nutrient dense of infant foods. Asian Australas. J. Food Saf. Secur. 2021, 5 (2), 32-42

Natural Occurrence of Deoxynivalenol in Cereal-Based Baby Foods for Infants from Western Poland

The study examined 110 samples of baby products based on rice, wheat, maize and multi-grains available on the western Polish market in order to detect the level of deoxynivalenol (DON) by means of HPLC (high-performance liquid chromatography) with a fluorescence detector (HPLC-FLD). DON was detected in 9.09% of the infant food samples, with an average and maximum level of 107.8 ± 30 and 148 μg/kg, respectively. The highest concentration of DON was detected in food for infants: wheat-based (mean 121 ± 7.07, 4.8%), multi-grain (mean 118 ± 5.65, 4.25%) and maize-based (mean 100 ± 37.96; 35.30%). No high DON content and high estimated daily intake were observed in the analyzed products. However, in order to minimize the harmfulness associated with the presence of DON in food for infants and young children, a risk assessment should be performed based on the monitoring results.

Mixed Infant Feeding Is Not Associated With Increased Risk of Decelerated Growth Among WIC-Participating Children in Southern California

Background: The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) provides nutrition assistance to half of infants born in the United States. The nationally representative WIC Infants and Toddler Feeding Practices Study-2 (ITFPS-2) reported a caloric deficit at 7 months among infants receiving WIC mixed feeding packages, suggesting these infants may be at risk for growth deceleration/faltering.Methods: Longitudinal administrative data collected prospectively from WIC participants in Southern California between 2010 and 2019 were used (n = 16,255). Infant lengths and weights were used to calculate weight-for-length (WLZ), weight-for-age (WAZ) and length-for-age (LAZ) z-scores at different time points. Growth deceleration/faltering was determined at 9, 12, 18, and 24 months by the change in z-score from the last measurement taken ≤ 6 months of age. Infant feeding was categorized by the food package (breastfeeding, mixed feeding, and formula feeding) infants received from WIC at 7 months. Poisson regression models were used to evaluate the association between WIC infant package at 7 months and deceleration/faltering at 9, 12, 18, and 24 months.Results: The proportion of infants displaying decelerated/faltering growth was low for all infant food package groups. Receiving the WIC mixed feeding package at 7 months of age was not associated with WLZ, WAZ, and LAZ deceleration/faltering growth.Conclusions: Growth deceleration/faltering rates were very low among WIC participating children in Southern California, highlighting the critical role of nutrition assistance in supporting adequate growth in early childhood.

Analysis of the Physicochemical and Microbiological Quality of Unfermented Palm Sap Reserved for Infant Feeding

Aim: The study was conducted to evaluate the physicochemical and microbiological parameters that could contribute to the depreciation of the quality of unfermented palm sap used for infant feeding. Study Design: A survey was conducted in 20 villages and camps to determine if the practice was still current. Also, unfermented sap was produced from 5 palms by resource persons to control the quality during the days of exploitation. Place and Duration of Study: The survey was carried out from March 1st to 30th in villages and camps in Central and Central-Western Cote d'Ivoire. The production of the sap took place during one week in the village of Akpessekro. Methodology: 30 people, without distinction randomly crossed were questioned on the food consumed at the age of 0 to 6 months. Also, in the unfermented sap produced acidity, sugar content, loads of GAM, thermotolerant coliforms, enterococci, yeasts and molds were determined and multiple correlations were established between all parameters. Results: In the villages and camps, palm sap is less and less used as infant food. During the first two days of palm farming, the acidity (6 < pH < 6.11) approximates that of breast milk or milk substitutes. However, after these two days, the acidity becomes high and the sugar content too low for infant feeding. In the unfermented sap, the loads of coliform fecal contamination germs are higher than the required standards. Also, the large load of lactic acid bacteria (≥1.5E+04 ufc/ml) and yeasts (1.4E+04 ufc/ml) present in the sap contribute to a depreciation of its quality over the days and when the sap is left to rest. Conclusion: The quality of unfermented palm sap as infant food is not guaranteed. This is one of the reasons why this practice is in decline nowadays.

Assessment of Citrinin in Spices and Infant Cereals Using Immunoaffinity Column Clean-Up with HPLC-Fluorescence Detection

Historically, the analysis of citrinin has mainly been performed on cereals such as red yeast rice; however, in recent years, more complex and abnormal commodities such as spices and infant foods are becoming more widely assessed. The aim of this study was to develop and validate clean-up methods for spices and cereal-based infant foods using a citrinin immunoaffinity column before HPLC analysis with fluorescence detection. Each method developed was validated with a representative matrix, spiked at various citrinin concentrations, based around European Union (EU) regulations set for ochratoxin A (OTA), with recoveries >80% and % RSD <9% in all cases. The limit of detection (LOD) and the limit of quantification (LOQ) were established at 1 and 3 µg/kg for spices and 0.1 and 0.25 µg/kg for infant cereals, respectively. These methods were then tested across a variety of spices and infant food products to establish efficacy with high recoveries >75% and % RSD <5% across all matrices assessed. Therefore, these methods proved suitable for providing effective clean-up of spices and infant cereals, enabling reliable quantification of citrinin detected. Samples such as nutmeg and infant multigrain porridge had higher levels of citrinin contamination than anticipated, indicating that citrinin could be a concern for public health. This highlighted the need for close monitoring of citrinin contamination in these commodities, which may become regulated in the future.

IMPACTS OF MORINGA OLEIFERA LEAF POWDER (MLP) ON THE PROTEIN CONTENT AND ENERGY VALUE OF COLOCASIA ESCULENTA (TARO) PORRIDGE: A TRADITIONAL INFANT FOOD IN GUINEA

Moringa oleifera leaf powder (MLP) has exceptional nutritional properties due to its high content of micronutrients, fatty acids, and especially protein. This makes it a suitable ingredient for the fortification of taro flour. Taro is a high-energy product but low in protein and fat, which weanling children need for their normal development. This study aimed to evaluate the protein-energy contribution of MLP powder in infant taro porridge. Three fortified taro porridges named FTP10% (Taro + 10% of Moringa), FTP15% (Taro + 15% of Moringa) and FTP15% (Taro + 15% of Moringa) were performed. Their analyses indicated significant increases (P<0.05) in crude protein content, energy value and titratable acidity from 0.580 0046% to 1.570 0052%, 82.137 143% to 88.807 1658% and from 0.130 0017g/100g to 0.380 0010 g/100 g respectively. KEYWORDS: Proximal composition, taro porridge, Moringa oleifera.