Contemporary methods of testing human milk quality

Abstract

Infant nutrition is essential for their growth and development. This research aims to determine the total antioxidant capacity of the infant food for preterm infants and indicate adequate methods for testing the quality and biological value of milk and infant food. The total antioxidant capacity (TAC) was determined in human milk and an infant formula for premature infants. The determination of the total antioxidant capacity was made using cyclic and differential pulse voltammetry, potentiometry and electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy. The results of three comparative electrochemical methods indicate that human milk has a higher antioxidant potential compared to infant formula, which contributes to better physiological development of the child. Fenton-based electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy method provides additional insight into TAC analysis, whereby a carbon-centered radical and an ascorbyl radical are formed in infant food. All methods can be used to determine TAC, since the results obtained individually with each method follow the same trend.