Nutrient-rich baby foods are required with particularly high standards of quality and safety expressed through product specifications or attributes. These foods are generally subjected to thermal processes that could involve a reduction of essential elements, as well as in the formation of potentially harmful molecules. This paper aimed at detecting the presence, in some baby foods, of compounds derived from Maillard reactions, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) and total Maillard Reaction Products (MRPs), as well as at evaluating the hypothetical levels of HMF daily intake by infants and children fed with the tested products. Baby food samples included milk powders, lyophilized meat-based foods, powdered creams based on cereals, homogenized jarred foods based on processed cheese, fish, vegetables, and meat. As far as the healthiness of the tested foods is concerned, significant quantities of total MRPs were found. The lyophilized meat-based foods samples showed the highest levels of total MRPs. At 380 nm, all the samples exceeded the total MRPs concentration of 1000 mg/100g. The analysis revealed the presence of HMF in all the samples under study. However, none of the samples exceeded the threshold concentration of 20 mg/Kg. The highest values were recorded for the category of lyophilized meat-based foods and for a sample of homogenized veal-based food. The results for the hypothetical daily levels of HMF intake by babies showed that, for the age group over 12 months, a value of 3.6 mg was reached. The largest percentage contribution was imputable to the homogenized jarred foods based on proteins and vegetables.
