Fatty acid composition of breast milk and infant formula in the region of Harbin, China

摘要

The objective of this study was to analyze the fatty acid compositions of breast milk obtained from 10 Chinese mothers (Harbin, Heilongjiang Province) and 14 commercial infant formulas (6 foreign brands, 8 domestic brands) by capillary gas Chromatographie technique. Saturated fatty acids accounted for 41.27% of total fatty acids in breast milk, while monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids for 31.12 and 26.12%, respectively. Content of saturated fatty acids was higher in both domestic and alien commercial infant formulas than that in breast milk. However, total monounsaturated fatty acid content was higher and polyunsaturated fatty acid content was lower in foreign formulas than that in breast milk and formulas made in China. The results showed that both domestic and alien infant formulas provided enough essential fatty acids for infants. Compared with breast milk, most infant formulas were short of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids such as docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and arachidonic acid (AA) which had important physiological function.