Milk slices as a source of macroelements and microelements in the diet of pre-schoolers

Sponge cake bars with milk filling, commonly referred to as milk slices, are a very frequent choice among children. These products are considered convenience foods consumed for breakfast and snacks during the day. They owe their popularity to commercials promoting these sweets as products that, in terms of calcium content, can successfully replace a glass of milk. Unfortunately, due to such associations, young consumers habitually choose highly sweetened products of low nutritional value. Since milk slices are very popular components of children’s diets, they should be a source of essential nutrients, including mineral elements. This paper aimed to assay the level of selected macroelements (Ca, Mg, K, and Na) and microelements (Fe, Cu, and Zn) in sponge cake bars of milk slice type (n=15). The mean content of macroelements in the analysed products can be represented as K (3724 mg kg^-1 ± 502.0) > Na (2703 mg kg^-1 ± 2366) > Ca (1393 mg kg^-1 ± 646.7) > Mg (489.4 mg kg^-1 ± 211.9). The mean content of microelements in the analysed products can be represented as Fe (24.53 mg kg^-1 ± 13.19) > Zn (8.946 mg kg^-1 ± 2.444) > Cu (2.188 mg kg^-1 ± 0832.7). When considering the daily requirement of pre-schoolers (aged 4-6) for the analysed minerals, it was established that, on average, one serving of a milk slice (31.7 g) supplies 17.9% RDA Cu, 12.5% RDA Mg, 10.7% AI K, 9.2% AI Na, 8.0% RDA Fe, 5.8% RDA Zn, and 4.1% RDA Ca. Our findings imply that milk slices are not a good source of minerals in pre-schoolers’ diets.