Ingredientes alergênicos: uma análise em alimentos industrializados consumidos na primeira infância

Abstract

The prevalence of food allergies has increased in recent years, with the increase of increasingly processed and complex foods becoming a challenge both from a clinical point of view and from the food industry. Food allergies are more common in childhood, so it is important to know what allergenic ingredients are present in processed foods. There are many foods that cause food allergies, including eggs, milk, fish, shellfish, nuts, peanuts, wheat and soy. Nutritional labeling can help in the process of choosing more suitable packaged processed foods. The objective of this work was to analyze which allergenic ingredients are more frequent in processed foods consumed in early childhood. This is field research, with quantitative approach and descriptive character, carried out through the analysis of labels of industrialized food products consumed by children aged 0 to 6 years old. The foods were selected based on a bibliographic survey of the most consumed industrialized foods among children and were divided into eight groups according to their industrial and nutritional characteristics. For each group, the mean and standard deviation of nutritional information, the frequency of allergenic ingredients, the presence of gluten and lactose and the NOVA classification were described. A total of 390 foods were collected, classified according to their predominant nutritional characteristics, among the 8 study groups: G1 – Bread, pasta, cereals, tubers and potatoes; G2 – Vegetables; G3 – Fruits and fruit juice; G4 – Dairy products; G5 – Meat and eggs; G6 – Oils and fats; G7 – Sugars, chocolate, gelatin, candies and sweets; and G8 – Ready-made foods (noodles, pizza, lasagna, etc.). The study showed that most of the foods collected fall into group 3, processed foods, and 4, ultra-processed foods, of the NOVA classification. Foods in group 8 (ready foods) and group 7 (sugars, chocolates, gelatin, candies and sweets) showed high energy density, with high values of carbohydrates, proteins, fats and low in fiber, characteristic of ultra-processed and poorly nutritious foods and that should be consumed in moderation. The food groups that showed the most allergenic foods were: G1 (Breads, pasta, cereals, tubers and potatoes), G7 (Sugars, chocolate, gelatin, candies and sweets) and G8 (Ready-made foods), with the most frequent allergenic ingredients in processed products for early childhood are soy, milk and wheat.