Abstract:

This paper makes a comprehensive evaluation on the quality and quantity of proteins in infant formula powder,
with especial focus on an in-depth analysis of the methods used for nutritional evaluation of proteins in infant formula
powder. Five evaluation methods based on amino acid analysis were examined for correlation with the biological evaluation
method. It was shown that the highest correlation of each of the five chemical methods with the biological evaluation
method was achieved by equally weighted gray correlation analysis. The amino acid ratio coefficient method provided more
scientific evaluation of amino acids in foods in comparison with the amino acid reference pattern than the amino acid ratio
method. Similarity evaluation between the amino acid composition of infant formulas and breast milk was performed using
equally weighted gray correlation analysis. Comparative and complementary analysis of amino acids was also carried out
on the main protein sources for infant formulas, aiming to providing a systematic analytical approach for the design and
development of infant formula powder with excellent protein in quality and quanty.

Key words: infant formula powder, amino acid ratio coefficient, protein digestibility-corrected amino acid score, equally weighted grey correlation analysis