Criteria of the safety of products for enteral nutrition

Abstract

Background. Concidering the specific metabolic processes of people in critical condition (distortion of macro and microelements exchange, decomposition of protein compounds), development and implementation of products for enteral nutrition is becoming very important and their assortment is very limited. Due to the increased requirements to products for nutritional support of patients, when such products are deeveloped, considerable attention is paid to safety indicators, and it is defined by the content of various contaminants: toxic elements, microorganisms and pesticides.
Material and methods. The developed products for enteral nutrition on the soluble dry basis "Reabilakt" and "Reabilakt-D" were the objects of the research. The control product of the study was "Peptamen", produced by Nestle (Switzerland).
Atomic absorption method, using atomic absorption spectrophotometer, was utilized to determine the content of toxic elements (lead, arsenic, cadmium, mercury) [8–11]. Gas chromatograph and standard methods were used to determine the content of pesticides [12; 13]. For the determination of microbiological safety of products for enteral nutrition the following factors were studied: the total amount of mesophilic aerobic and facultative anaerobic microorganisms (MAFAnM), the presence of the coliform bacteria (CGB), pathogens and mold [14–18]. The study was held immediately after production and every 2 months during the recommended period of storage (12 months).
Results. The content of toxic elements and pesticides in the investigated samples meet the established requirements. The study of quantitative and qualitative composition of the microflora of products for enteral nutrition found that the studied products meet the established health standards. During the storage of experimental and control samples the amount of MAFAnM tended to increase but within the norms. The samples didn’t contain yeasts and pathogenic microorganisms.
Conclusions. It is determined that the studied mixtures on dry soluble basis for enteral nutrition "Reabilakt" and "Reabilakt-D" meet the established requirements of current legislation regarding the safety indicators and can be recommended for for consumption during the treatment and recovery period within the period of validity.