Effect of the consumption of high energy dense and fortified gruels on energy and nutrient intakes of 6–10-month-old Vietnamese infants

The aim of this study was to test the ability of two new products, an instant infant flour and a food supplement containing amylases, to increase energy and micronutrient intakes of infants older than 6 months. Three groups of 48 infants were randomly constituted. Infants in groups 1 and 2 consumed at least twice a day gruel made either from the instant flour or from the food supplement. Infants from the control group received complementary foods prepared in the usual way. Each infant was surveyed during a whole day in order to measure feeding frequencies and characteristics as well as amounts of the different types of complementary foods consumed. Foods consumed by infants in the two experimental groups differed considerably in energy, micronutrient density and in consistency from the home-made complementary foods. Due to the incorporation of amylases, gruels made from the food supplement had a higher energy density, a more appropriate consistency and resulted in higher intakes per meal than gruels made from instant flour. In comparison with home-made complementary foods, both experimental products resulted in significantly higher energy and nutrient intakes. The two experimental products appeared to increase sufficiently both energy and nutrient intakes of infants to complement their breastmilk intake.