Natural calcium source for baby foods

Omya International AG, a global producer of mineral ingredients, has developed a natural source of calcium for powdered infant products such as baby milk powder, ready to use infant drinks, cereals and biscuits targeted at smaller children.

Omya Calcipur® meets USP, FCC and E170 purity requirements and provides excellent stability.  It contains about 40% calcium to help boost calcium content of the end product, with appropriate support for the nutritional requirements of babies and toddlers.

Since infant nutrition must meet the highest possible quality criteria in respect of product safety, purity and nutritional value, Omya developed Calcipur® 115-KP and 95-KP, two grades of natural calcium carbonate particles that provide ideal enhancement of infant formula. Obtained from high purity sources, the natural minerals have been comprehensively tested and proven safe. Low impurity means exceptionally low levels of aluminium, manganese and cadmium. Omya Calcipur® KP contains less than 0.5ppm lead, with aluminium and cadmium content well below the specified reference values. Omya Calcipur® KP is also Halal and Kosher.

Photo © Pavel Ilyukhin I Shutterstock (Omya)

Natural ground calcium carbonate used for the Calcipur® KP-line provides a high Ca2⁺ content combined with excellent bioavailability, thus providing optimal nutritional value in the end product. Omya Calcipur® contains approximately 40% elemental calcium. That means, compared with other available solutions, up to five times less Calcipur® is required to obtain the same calcium dose in a product. This minimises the cost of supplementation while enabling exciting positioning opportunities in the infant nutrition sector.

The very fine particle size helps to prevent sedimentation and negative impact on mouthfeel, resulting in higher consumer acceptance. Furthermore, it offers excellent characteristics for ease of processing: Besides being a highly effective anti-caking aid for powders, it can also reduce dusting and help correct pH-values. The natural particles also score with exceptional whiteness for a pure, wholesome and high-quality appearance.

Stefan Lander, Vice President Consumer Goods, Group Sales & Marketing at Omya, says: “Our Calcipur KP®-line provides the highest standards for infant nutrition. Combining nutritional benefits with ease of processing, the natural ingredients make it easy to develop innovative and all-round infant food solutions.”