Nutrition is a topic that must always be approached with great care, as it has a significant impact on our bodies, and poorly prepared food can lead to serious health issues. This is especially true for baby and children’s nutrition, as their immune systems are not yet fully developed.

For this reason, it is essential to properly prepare their food and, when it comes to packaged products—which is our focus here—apply the correct thermal treatment. This ensures their safety and minimizes any risks to their health.

If you are interested in producing and marketing baby food preserves, the information shared here will be incredibly valuable to you.

Packaged baby and toddler foods ready for consumption

All baby (under 12 months) and toddler (1 to 3 years old) food products available in pharmacies, supermarkets, or specialty stores are crafted with quality in mind and under the guidance of pediatric nutritionists. These experts design diets tailored to the specific needs of children based on their age.

Such preparations must always provide some of the following essential nutrients:

Vitamins
Proteins
Carbohydrates
Fats
Minerals

These nutrients come from fruits, vegetables, dairy, grains, meat, fish, and more. To learn more about the benefits of each, check out the various food sterilization articles we’ve prepared for you.

Consumption of packaged baby foods

According to a study on infant nutrition by Allied Market Research, the global baby food market was valued at $67.8 billion in 2021.

Projections estimate this figure will reach $116.5 billion by 2031, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.7% from 2022 to 2031.

This growth is attributed to rapid urbanization, lifestyle changes, increased awareness of infants’ nutritional needs, and the rising participation of women in the workforce.

Types of baby foods

In general, baby foods are divided into:

Dry baby foods
Infant formulas
Prepared baby foods and others

For foods intended for infants and young children, the Official Journal of the European Union establishes the following classification:

Infant preparations

Refers to foods that meet the nutritional needs of infants during their first months of life until the introduction of appropriate complementary feeding.

Follow-on formulas

Intended for infants who have begun complementary feeding and serve as the main liquid component of their diet.

Cereal-based foods

Designed for infants during weaning and young children, as a supplement to their diet or for gradual adaptation to a regular diet.

Baby foods

All foods intended for infants during weaning and young children as a supplement to their diet or for gradual adaptation to a regular diet, excluding cereal-based foods and milk-based beverages.

Foods for special medical purposes

Formulated for infants with specific needs, whether clinical or dietary, and used under medical supervision.

Canned baby foods

Baby and toddler nutrition should be varied and balanced, and packaged foods are no exception. This is why stores offer a wide range of purees and baby foods with diverse flavors and nutrients, often combining ingredients like fish, chicken, vegetables, fruits, cereals, and more.

You might hesitate to give a child canned food, assuming that all preserves contain artificial additives for preservation or that they can’t provide the same nutrients and minerals as homemade recipes.

Let us assure you that’s not the case. If you’re skeptical, take a look at our breakdown of common myths about canned foods.

Remember:

To commercialize any type of canned food, you must pasteurize or sterilize it in compliance with current health and hygiene regulations, ensuring it is safe for consumption.

How to prepare packaged baby food

In any culinary preparation, the quality of ingredients is essential. Throughout our guides, we’ve emphasized the importance of premium products in gourmet preserves. This level of quality becomes even more critical when it comes to infant nutrition.

Proper sanitization of ingredients and sterilization of all tools and work surfaces is crucial. Once the various ingredients are prepared (peeled, chopped, sliced, etc.), proceed with cooking. Afterward, package them hermetically and apply a thermal treatment to ensure safe and effective preservation.

Keep in mind that our autoclaves also allow for food cooking. We recommend partially cooking your packaged infant food, allowing it to finish cooking during the thermal treatment in the autoclave. This prevents overcooking and ensures optimal quality.

Sterilization of baby food

Baby food preserves are typically sterilized, as babies and young children have underdeveloped immune systems, and improper preservation could lead to severe health issues.

Sterilization is an intense thermal process that eradicates 100% of microorganisms and their spores, extending the food’s shelf life to up to two years without requiring refrigeration.

After the sterilization and rapid cooling process in our autoclaves, we recommend using a blast chiller. This quickly reduces the product’s temperature to refrigeration levels, preventing microbial growth and overcooking.

It’s worth noting that baby food is rarely pasteurized. While pasteurization better preserves the organoleptic properties of the ingredients, it only partially eliminates microorganisms. Additionally, pasteurized products require refrigeration and have a much shorter shelf life, typically a maximum of three months.

Remember:

To market your infant food products, you must comply with specific food safety, quality, and hygiene regulations. This requires applying a thermal treatment using professional equipment and recording the results for each batch, as ensured by our TERRA Food-Tech^® autoclaves.

pH of baby food preserves

The pH of food determines the temperature and time required for thermal processing, as it directly influences the growth of microorganisms. Lower pH indicates higher acidity and reduced likelihood of microorganism growth, while higher pH signifies lower acidity and greater potential for microbial proliferation.

Although there is no specific guideline for pH values of baby and child food preserves, here are some general indicative figures:

Fruit and vegetable purees: Typically have a pH of 3-4, where acidity aids preservation.
Porridges: Tend to have a more neutral pH of 5-6.
Chicken or fish purees: Generally range between a pH of 4-5.

Since baby food has a wide variety of preparations and ingredients, we recommend accurately measuring pH to determine the most suitable thermal treatment for each recipe.

F₀-P₀ values for baby food preserve sterilization

The thermal values F₀ and P₀ to apply will depend on the type of product, its ingredients, and its prior preparation. To determine the correct values for your recipe, measure the final product’s pH before thermal processing and select the most appropriate F₀-P₀ values.

Low-acidity infant food: Typically processed at 113-118ºC with an F₀=10.
High-acidity infant food: Processed at 85-90ºC, with F₀ depending on the pH.

To determine the ideal thermal treatment for your product and ensure proper preservation, we recommend consulting a laboratory specializing in microbiological analysis. At TERRA Food-Tech^®, we offer our clients a food consultancy service to help guarantee the quality and safety of their products.

Common issues in sterilizing baby food preserves

The primary challenge lies in preserving the organoleptic properties of baby food, such as minimizing nutrient loss or changes in the product’s smell, taste, color, or texture. To mitigate these issues, consider the following:

Use lower temperatures or shorter times whenever possible.
Choose ingredients that can withstand higher temperatures.
Adjust the food’s pH to enable milder thermal treatments.

As we have already mentioned, you should carefully adjust the thermal treatment parameters to avoid unnecessary overcooking. This requires:

Assessing the microbial load of each ingredient, focusing on the most critical one.
Monitoring the temperature inside the preserve using a flexible probe and recording the lethality achieved during the process.

Such precision will help prevent public health risks by eliminating common bacteria found in this type of food, which pose even greater dangers to infants and children with weaker immune systems. These include:

E. coli: causes intestinal infections.
Salmonella: leads to gastrointestinal infections.
Clostridium botulinum: causes botulism, a potentially fatal condition.
Listeria monocytogenes: can cause severe infections in young children and pregnant women.

Additionally, the most common fungus is Aspergillus, which can produce harmful aflatoxins.

Recommended packaging for sterilizing baby food preserves

Baby and children’s foods are typically packaged in:

Glass jars: Ideal for showcasing the product’s interior to consumers.
Pouches: Particularly suited for purees and creams, allowing for strong brand presentation.

When using glass jars, it’s essential to leave a space between the food and the lid to ensure proper sealing and allow for expansion during thermal treatment.

Before selecting a type of packaging, it’s important to weigh the pros and cons of each option. With TERRA Food-Tech® autoclaves, you don’t need to worry—they are designed to handle all types of containers seamlessly.

Sterilizing infant food with TERRA Food-Tech^® autoclaves

TERRA Food-Tech^® autoclaves offer the capability to cook products before applying thermal treatments like pasteurization or sterilization. Thanks to the counter-pressure they generate, container deformation is prevented. Additionally, to avoid overcooking, these autoclaves feature a direct-shower rapid cooling system that activates after the thermal process is complete.

If you are looking for reliability, safety, and efficiency in producing gourmet preserves, a food autoclave is the ideal choice.

With TERRA Food-Tech^® autoclaves, you can not only sterilize but also cook and pasteurize—three functions in one device.

Using our food autoclaves ensures compliance with safety, quality, and hygiene regulations for canned foods and prepared dishes. They are essential for those who wish to market these products.

TERRA Food-Tech^® autoclaves were created to meet the needs of micro-entrepreneurs, chefs, cooks, farmers, livestock producers, and social enterprises who have made gourmet preserves their life’s work.

Looking to learn more about TERRA Food-Tech^® autoclaves for sterilizing baby food preserves? Contact our experts today

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