Hexane In Baby Formula

Infant formula has come a long way since chemist justus von liebig first patented a commercial cocktail of cow s milk wheat flour malt flour and potassium bicarbonate in 1865.

Hexane in baby formula.

That s the good news. It s a petroleum derivative that s found in glue and gasoline and has recently been used in infant formula to help obtain the dha and ara fatty acids from fermented algae and fungus. The formula is highly rated by the clean label project and usda. Without commenting on the additives safety or appropriateness in standard formulas the usda found that the synthetic dha and ara oils should not be allowed in organic foods particularly since they are extracted from fermented algae and fungus through a process that utilizes the known neurotoxic chemical hexane.

The ara in infant formula comes from arachidonic single cell oil arasco which is extracted with the use of the toxic chemical hexane from a laboratory grown soil fungus. In 2006 organic infant formula companies began adding dha and ara omega fatty acids to their products in order to give formula fed babies more of the nutrients found in breast milk. It results in inflammation of the intestines and also a cause of colon tumors. And in our recent exploration of hexane baby s only again stands out as the best choice.

The non hexane approach to processing dha is considered much healthier. Also known as n hexane or ch3 ch2 4 ch3 belongs to the class of organic compounds known as alkanes. Baby s only organic baby formula is made in the usa by a family owned business that is not publicly traded. Their other formulas include dha and ara extracted from egg lecithin which may or may not be problematic for babies who react to hexane extracted dha.

These are acyclic branched or unbranched hydrocarbons having the general formula cnh2n 2 and therefore consisting entirely of hydrogen atoms and saturated carbon atoms. However in some cases the oils are extracted from non toxic algae and soil fungus using chemicals such as hexane acid and bleach. It is also used in infant formula but it has been proved in numerous animal based studies that carrageenan is harmful. In 2010 the united states department of agriculture usda called for a ban on the addition of dha and ara to infant formula sold with the usda organic seal.

Even special measures are taken to make sure the packaging is safe for your child. Carrageenan has been banned in the european union but it is still in use in america. Martek biosciences corporation based in columbia maryland. What company manufactures the dha and ara that is found in infant formula.