Variability and error in measurement of infant formula powder and water: an experimental study

Richard R Rosenkranz; Ana Gonzalez-Alvarez; Chris Acosta; Andrew Hooyman; Jose R Hidalgo; CindyRomina Ballesteros-Paniagua; Sara K Rosenkranz

doi:10.3389/fnut.2024.1385496

Variability and error in measurement of infant formula powder and water: an experimental study

Front Nutr. 2024 Aug 7:11:1385496. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2024.1385496. eCollection 2024.

Authors

Richard R Rosenkranz^{1

2}, Ana Gonzalez-Alvarez^{2

3}, Chris Acosta¹, Andrew Hooyman¹, Jose R Hidalgo¹, CindyRomina Ballesteros-Paniagua¹, Sara K Rosenkranz^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Kinesiology and Nutrition Sciences, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV, United States.
² Department of Food, Nutrition, Dietetics, and Health, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, United States.
³ Department Social and Behavioral Health, School of Public Health, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV, United States.

Abstract

Introduction: Formula feeding is the only viable nutrition alternative for infants 0-6mos who cannot breastfeed. Among the drawbacks of formula feeding, however, is potential dilution or concentration errors in the formula during preparation that may lead to infant health issues. The present study aimed to investigate the accuracy of caregiver measurements as they prepared infant formula under multiple conditions, compared with manufacturer specifications.

Methods: A diverse sample of caregivers (N = 84) participated in this cross-over experimental study. Participants hand-scooped infant formula powder and poured water to prepare 4oz. and 7oz. feedings, using both a standardized set of infant formula products and participants' own products. Linear mixed effects models were used to estimate fixed effects of target amount (4oz. versus 7oz) and products (participant versus researcher) on mean absolute percent error (MAPE) of measurement.

Results: Across all conditions MAPE was significantly greater for measuring powder than for water (9.0% vs. 4.4%; p < 0.001) with a combined powder and water MAPE at 13.0%. Greater measurement error was associated with the odd-sized 7oz. preparation and participants' own products.

Discussion: We observed considerable variability and substantial error during infant formula preparation, particularly for hand-scooping of powder, which tended toward higher values than the theoretical gold standard.

Keywords: Infant; bottle feeding; breastfeeding; feeding; formula; home nutrition support; measurement; over-feeding.

Grants and funding

The author(s) declare that financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. This research was funded by The Betesh Group. The APC was funded by The Betesh Group. The authors had full independence to design and conduct the study without interference or restriction regarding the publication of findings.