Investigation of microbiological quality of powdered infant formulas and their suitability for formula preparation recommendations

The present study aimed to investigate the microbiological quality of powdered infant formulas on sale in Turkey and to assess the compliance of the preparation instructions recommended by the formula companies with the guidelines of the World Health Organization (WHO). In the study, 36 powdered infant formulas belonging to 10 different companies were analysed regarding the presence of Cronobacter sakazakii, Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus, coliform and faecal coliform, mould-yeast, total mesophilic aerobic bacteria counts. C. sakazakii was detected in two of the examined formula samples. At various levels, B. cereus in nine, S. auerus in four, coliform bacteria in 10 and faecal coliform bacteria in eight of the formula samples were found and these identified values were discovered above the legal limits. When the compliance of the preparation instructions recommended by the formula companies with the WHO guidelines was evaluated, the instruction requiring the water temperature to be >70°C, which is critical in the control of C. sakazakii, was not included in the preparation instructions of any formula companies. Although the microbiological quality of the formulas was determined by the legal limits, it was observed that the targeted microbiological quality could not be reached in some of the examined formula samples and the instructions prepared by the companies may not be adequate for the food safety.