Types of baby food
While the baby food are ready to use, the freeze dried products must first be dispersed in water.
Homogenized products are obtained by crushing the fibers into very fine particles, in the order of thousandths of a millimeter (micronization), by passing at high pressure through very thin filters. This makes them finer and more digestible than common household preparations.
There are baby food intended for weaning and baby food for continuation.
The follow-on baby food, which can be administered from the tenth month onwards, also contain small pieces and stimulate chewing. No type of additive is allowed with the exception of ascorbic acid or vitamin C (which is added for nutritional reasons). The shelf life is in fact guaranteed by the sterilization in an autoclave (appertisation) to which all products are subjected (if the safety valve it is swollen and should not be consumed).
There are several products on the market:
- Meat freeze-dried *
- Freeze-dried fish
- Vegetable freeze-dried
- Homogenized meat (usually consisting of only one type of meat)
- Homogenized fruit (generally added with vitamin C and thickeners such as partially dextrinized starch)
- Mixed baby food
- Homogenized fish (they are rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids)
- Homogenized vegetables (generally added with vitamin C and thickeners such as partially dextrinized starch)
(*) The meat is micronized, then reduced to very small particles and subsequently freeze-dried. This treatment, in addition to increasing the practicality of the product, maintains its nutritional and sensory characteristics, even if it slightly increases the amount of oxidized cholesterol.
Minestrine and complete meals
These are products used after one year of life, when the child is already able to chew. They can be ready to use, or freeze-dried.
They are complex products, which aim to provide an almost complete and ready meal: they consist of cereals, freeze-dried meat, freeze-dried vegetables and flavorings. They are indicated not only for the practicality of use, but also in situations of lack of appetite or taste problems.
- Minestrina / meal with cereals and meat
- Minestrina / meal with cereals, cheese and vegetables
- Minestrina / meal with cereals and vegetables
- Minestrina / meal with cereals, meat and vegetables
In addition to soups, we also have vegetable purees or preparations for meat or vegetable broths.
