###### Abstract  
The Chilean Technical Manual for Milk Dietary Service (SEDILE) was evaluated to determine its effectiveness in ensuring the microbiological safety and vitamin D adequacy of a commercially available powdered infant formula (PIF) used in SEDILE. The evaluation focused on whether adherence to the manual's guidelines positively influenced these factors. Both the PIF and the reconstituted PIF (RIF) were found to be free from _Cronobacter sakarakii_ and _Salmonella enterica_ contamination, with levels of total coliforms and Escherichia coli within acceptable limits. Moreover, the vitamin D content in the formula was within the expected range. These findings suggest that following the Chilean Technical Manual for SEDILE contributes to the microbiological safety and nutritional adequacy of RIF in dietary services.  
Cronobacter sakarakii; infant formula; Salmonella enterica; vitamin D; nutritional quality +
Footnote †: journal: Applied sciences  
0000-0002-0002-3333-0000][PERSON] 0000-0002-0002-3333-0000][PERSON] 0000-0002-0002-0002-3333-0000][PERSON] 0000-0002-0002-3333-0000]C. C.  
epidemiologically and microbiologically, the vehicle and source of infections in infants [8]. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) requested scientific advice from the Codex Committee on Food Hygiene to have input for the revision of the Recommended International Code of Practice of Hygiene for PIF [8]. These recommendations have been accepted and implemented by the PIF industry, as well as by places where PIF are reconstituted and fed to infants.  
In Chile, the Milk Dietary Services (SEDILE) are fundamental units within the structure of pediatric hospital centers, where the reception and storage of raw materials are carried out to later prepare, sterilize, and distribute infant formulas [12]. SEDILE is a physical space designed for the preparation of PIF that meets the nutritional requirements of each patient [13]. To ensure safe nutrition for hospitalized children, the Chilean Ministry of Health (MINSAL) developed the 2010 Technical Guidance for Dietary Milk Services (SEDILE) and Central Enteral Formulas (CEFE), which outlines the construction, organization, and operation of these services [13]. This guide provides a framework for public and private health establishments to create their own tailored \"SEDILE Technical Manual\" by adapting the general guidelines to their specific physical and economic conditions, ensuring consistent safety and nutrition standards for hospitalized children nationwide. In this way, the procedure for preparing the PIF is described step by step to ensure the microbiological quality of the products produced and distributed. These processes have supported the successful control of the preparation of PIF in the SEDILE of the country. However, ensuring adequate microbiological safety is usually associated with excessive heat treatment that could decrease the nutritional value of PIF. Among the different critical nutrients in infants, vitamin D deficiency has been detected as a cause for concern in Chile, as well as throughout the world [14]. Several factors influence vitamin D deficiency in the body, including lack of exposure to sunlight, diet, lifestyle, age, seasons, and latitude [15; 16; 17]. Its deficiency has been linked to obesity, cardiovascular diseases, depression, insulin resistance, autoimmune diseases, multiple sclerosis, and some cancers in adult life [14; 15; 17]. Due to these risks, food industries have chosen to fortify foods such as PIF with vitamin D [15; 18; 19]. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the Technical Manual for SEDILE on the microbiological and nutritional quality of a commercial PIF commonly used in Chilean hospital centers.