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Starch Digestion in Infants: An Update of Available In Vitro Methods—A Mini Review

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Abstract

Complementary feeding starts at around six months of age because neither breast milk nor formula assure the proper nutrition of infants. Therefore, along with breast milk, solid foods are gradually introduced, particularly cereal-based foods, which will provide starch as a new source of energy and nutrients. As a result, the need of an adequate in vitro digestion method to study the influence of different aspects of weaning period is unquestionable. This critical review summarizes the in vitro digestion methods available for the analysis of starch hydrolysis under infant conditions considering different features, namely, starch digestion, infant digestive conditions and in vitro models suitable for the study of starch digestion (static, semi-dynamic and dynamic). Key factors such as enzyme concentrations, transit time, oral, gastric and intestinal conditions and differences with current adult models, have been addressed. The need for standardized infant digestion models adapted to the complementary feeding period was discussed. Existing literature data demonstrate that more effort has to be done to improve the research on this issue, in order to obtain comparable results that would address a better understanding of the digestibility of different food nutrients under infant conditions facilitating the development of appropriate formulations that may assure proper infant nutrition.

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Acknowledgements

The authors want to thanks Carolina Mosconi who did the language quality check of this manuscript.

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This research received no specific grant from any agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Facultad de Ciencias Agropecuarias, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Córdoba, Argentina

    Marianela Desireé Rodríguez & Alberto Edel León

  2. Instituto de Ciencia Y Tecnología de los Alimentos-Córdoba (ICYTAC) CONICET-UNC, Córdoba, Argentina

    Alberto Edel León & Mariela Cecilia Bustos

  3. Instituto de Ciencias Básicas Y Aplicadas, Universidad Nacional de Villa María, Villa María, Argentina

    Mariela Cecilia Bustos

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  1. Marianela Desireé Rodríguez
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  2. Alberto Edel León
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  3. Mariela Cecilia Bustos
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Contributions

Bustos M.C. and León A.E. conceived of the presented idea. Rodriguez M.D. and Bustos M.C. wrote the main manuscript text and prepared the figure and table. All authors reviewed the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Mariela Cecilia Bustos.

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Rodríguez, M.D., León, A.E. & Bustos, M.C. Starch Digestion in Infants: An Update of Available In Vitro Methods—A Mini Review. Plant Foods Hum Nutr 77, 345–352 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11130-022-01001-1

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