Use of poultry in the production of high-quality baby food products: Literature review

Poultry meat and eggs are important components of baby food due to the high biological value of protein, rich content of essential amino acids, minerals and vitamins necessary for the normal development of the child’s body. This review aimed to systematically assess the nutritional and technological potential of poultry meat and eggs for use in the production of high-quality baby food. A content analysis of 51 peer-reviewed scientific sources published between 2012 and 2024 was conducted to synthesise data on the amino acid composition, digestibility, and processing characteristics of chicken and turkey meat, as well as poultry eggs. The analysis showed that turkey meat contained up to 31.65% protein and only 4.55% fat, indicating its value as a lean protein source. Chicken breast muscle provided 9,872.7 ± 465.09 mg of essential amino acids per 100 g, while turkey breast offered 115.3 mg/100 g. Eggs demonstrated a high proportion of essential amino acids (over 43% of the total amino acid content) and were identified as a key dietary source of choline important for early cognitive development. The review also evaluated traditional and modern processing methods, including pasteurisation, sterilisation, lyophilisation, hydrothermal treatment, and non-thermal technologies such as pulsed electric field, radio frequency heating and ultrasound. It was found that modern methods such as PEF and lyophilisation preserved up to 97% of vitamins and reduced microbial loads by 5-6 log without significantly altering nutritional value. The findings underscored the importance of selecting appropriate processing technologies to preserve both the safety and nutritional quality of poultry-based baby foods