"What brand of milk powder does your child eat?" This is an eternal topic in the mother group. A large group of old mothers are repeatedly entangled in what brand of milk powder will not get uncomfortable after eating? Which country has the best milk powder? Whether my child should switch milk... among these topics. There will often be individual mothers who jump out excitedly and angrily accuse XX milk powder of adding sugar, which makes their babies fat and cavities after eating, scaring a group of mothers into jumping and wailing.

In fact, mothers don't need to be overly anxious about the "sugar"  in milk powder. As long as they are briefly popularized the functions and types of "sugar", mothers can understand the truth.

Human life activities require three macronutrients——carbohydrates, proteins and fats. Adults can absorb carbohydrates by eating cereals such as rice and bread; but for babies, they have no way to directly digest cereals, so sugar has become the main source of carbohydrates for babies aged 0-6 months. Friends who have paid attention to infant milk powder may have learned from some experts and platforms that "infant formula milk powder is added with maltodextrin and corn syrup, which is an unscrupulous merchant to reduce the production cost of milk powder." What are maltodextrin and corn syrup solids?

Maltodextrin.

Maltodextrin is a nutritional polysaccharide with almost no sweetness, which is mainly extracted from various starches. Maltodextrin in milk powder is generally derived from corn. It is very common to add maltodextrin to infant milk powder. Its role is mainly carbohydrates that the human body must ingest. Infants are in the period of rapid growth and development and need sufficient energy to meet basic metabolism and growth and development. The most important food for infants and young children is maltodextrin. Common carbohydrates include lactose, maltodextrin, etc. There is no difference in the energy provided by these carbohydrates.

Corn syrup solids.

Corn syrup solids are glucose made from high-quality cornstarch as raw material through enzymatic hydrolysis, with a DE (Dextrose Equivalent) value above 20.

Corn syrup solids have a lot in common with maltodextrin, but the DE value of maltodextrin is mostly within 20, and the lower the DE value, the lower the sweetness.

Safety and nutrition.

Maltodextrin and corn syrup solids are food additives. According to the management of infant milk powder additives by the Ministry of Health, there is no strict ban on the use or a certain dosage, so they are safe for infant and toddler food. From a nutritional point of view, the three major nutrients protein, fat, and carbohydrates in infant food should follow a certain ratio. According to the current standard GB 10765-2010 of our national food safety standard for infant formula: For milk-based infant formula foods, the preferred carbohydrates should be lactose and glucose polymers. Only pregelatinized starch can be added to infant formula foods, and fructose should not be used. That is to say, adding the specified amount will not affect the content indicators of protein, fat and other nutritional components in milk powder.

How to think about adding problems?

As we shared above, ingredients such as maltodextrin and corn syrup solids that are added to infant milk powder are allowed within the scope of national regulations. So what is the scope of this regulation? Because the Ministry of Health does not consider maltodextrin and corn syrup solids to be unsafe ingredients, so there are no regulations on how much they can be added, but there are clear regulations on the proportion of carbohydrates-lactose: The ratio of lactose to carbohydrates for 0-12 months should be ≥ 90%, and there is no requirement for the proportion of lactose in milk powder over 12 months. "Infant Formula Food" (Draft for Comment) is applicable to infants aged 13 to 36 months, and the requirement for the proportion of lactose has been added, requiring lactose should account for ≥50% of total carbohydrates in milk-based infant formula foods (except for lactose-free and low-lactose products). Of course, each country has different regulations on the proportion of lactose.

Corn syrup solids will be less sweet than other sugars.

As the main carbohydrate in breast milk, lactose can not only provide the necessary nutrients for the baby's growth and development, but also effectively inhibit the growth of harmful bacteria. So lactose is added to stage 1 milk powder. As the baby grows older, the amount of lactase in the gastrointestinal tract will continue to decrease, so at this stage, the possibility of lactose intolerance will be higher. Therefore, milk powder with added lactose may not be suitable for babies who are lactose intolerant. In this case, using corn syrup solids or maltodextrin instead of lactose is a better choice. Generally speaking, the lactose content in milk powder is stage 1 > stage 2 > stage 3.

So, the "sugar" in milk powder and the sugar in candy are not the same thing at all. Lactose, corn syrup solids, maltodextrin, etc. in milk powder are nutrients that provide carbohydrates for the baby. These sugars are added to meet the needs of the baby's growth and development. It is mostly sucrose that is likely to cause tooth decay and obesity in babies. Mothers should not be confused anymore.