Topic 4_Flour fortification and enrichment.pptx

Fortification means the process of adding nutritional value of a product

1. BSc in Food Science & Technology PBS-CLT-311: Cereal and Legume Technology Topic 4: Flour Fortification and Enrichment Assoc. Prof. Moses Chamba

2. Introduction to fortification and enrichment Nutritional status of a population is one of the important factors in determining the quality and productivity of the people, which in turn will affect national productivity. Many nutritional studies, particularly in developing countries, have indicated that certain segments of the population suffer from one or more nutrient deficiencies. In many other developing countries, iodine-deficiency disorders, vitamin A deficiency, and iron-deficiency anaemia are regarded as public health problems. Slide 2

3. In those countries, food fortification has been used as a strategy to solve these problems. Several terms besides ‘fortification’ are used interchangeably to refer to the same strategy including; enrichment, restoration, standardisation , and supplementation. Both fortification and enrichment refer to the addition of nutrients to food. They are designed for mass populations. However, the true definitions of these two terms, do slightly vary according to WHO and FAO. Slide 3

4. Food fortification Food fortification refers to: the practice of deliberately increasing the content of an essential micronutrient, i.e. vitamins and minerals (including trace elements) in a food irrespective of whether the nutrients were originally in the food before processing or not, so as to improve the nutritional quality of the food supply and to provide a public health benefit with minimal risk to health," Slide 4

5. Fortification may be a purely commercial choice to provide extra nutrients in a food. Sometimes it is a public health policy which aims to reduce the number of people with dietary deficiencies within a population. Diets that lack variety can be deficient in certain nutrients. Sometimes, the staple foods of a region can lack particular nutrients, due to the soil of the region or because of the inherent inadequacy of the normal diet. Slide 5

6. Food enrichment Food enrichment is defined as synonymous with fortification, but refers to: ‘the addition of micronutrients to a food which are lost during processing’. An enriched food is a food to which nutrients have been added. A common example of consumed enriched food is white bread to which certain vitamins are added after the bleaching process of wheat flour depletes them. Slide 6

7. Restoration Restoration is the addition of a nutrient to a food in order to restore the original nutrient content. Both restoration and enrichment programmes usually involve the addition of nutrients that are naturally available or present in the food product. Slide 7

8. Standardisation Standardisation is the addition of nutrients to foods to compensate for natural variation, so that a standard level is achieved. Standardisation is an important step to ensure a consistent standardised quality of the final product. Slide 8

9. Supplementation Supplementation is the provision of n utrients in liquid or pill form. Usually in doses higher than found in fortified food. Designed for specific target groups (i.e. pregnant women or children). Slide 9

10. As compared with restoration and standardisation , fortification has a special meaning: the nutrient added and the food chosen as a carrier have to meet certain criteria, so that the fortified product will become a good source of the nutrient for a targeted population. Nutrients added for food fortification may or may not have been present in the food carrier originally. Slide 10

11. Methods of food fortification There are four main methods of food fortification. They are named after the procedure to fortify the food: Biofortification: breeding crops to increase their nutritional value. It can include both conventional selective breeding and modern genetic modification. Synthetic biology: addition of pro-biotic bacteria to foods. Commercial and industrial fortification: Fortification at industrial level for commercial purposes. E.g. flour, rice, oils, salt, etc. Home fortification: Additional of some nutrients into food at home. E.g. vitamin D drops. Slide 11

12. Some common minerals and vitamins used in fortification Minerals Vitamins Folic Acid (B9) Thiamine (B1) Riboflavin (B2) Niacin (B3) B2 Iron Zinc Calcium Phosphorous Non-metals Iodine Choice of these fortificants depend on the deficiencies in the target population and carrier food. Vitamin A Vitamin C Vitamin D Vitamin E

13. Some carrier foods for fortification Salt Sugar Wheat/corn flour Rice and whole cereal grains Breakfast cereals Pasta Cooking oils Margarine Powdered/liquid milk Other dairy products Monosodium glutamate Sauces Tea Fruit juices Infant formulas Slide 13

14. Effectiveness of food-fortification programmes Food fortification differs from other programmes that involve the addition of nutrients to foods. Fortification is a nutritional intervention programme with a specifically defined target , and the fortified food products are expected to become a main source of the specific added nutrient. Food fortification is expected to help prevent nutritional inadequacy in targeted populations in which a risk of nutrient deficiency has been identified. Slide 14

15. The criterion for assessing effectiveness of a food-fortification programme is to check whether the nutritional and health status of a targeted population has been improved. For food-fortification programmes to be successful, their technical aspects need to be carefully assessed. These include: The nutritional justification for food fortification, The acceptability of the fortified food product to consumers (both cost and taste), and A ny technical or analytical limitation to compliance with food regulations and labeling requirements. Slide 15

16. Aspects to consider when undertaking a food-fortification programme Important technical aspects of developing effective food-fortification programmes are: choice of food carrier, nutrient interactions, bioavailability of nutrients, stability of nutrients added under anticipated conditions of storage and processing (food preparation at the household level), and safety. A good fortified product should not cause nutrition imbalance and, excessive intake of nutrients should not have adverse effects. Slide 16

17. Choice of carrier food: The carrier should be consumed in sufficient quantities to make a significant contribution to the diet of the targeted population. Salt, sugar, flour, monosodium glutamate (MSG), and cooking oil have been used. Other foods should be explored, especially with reference to the specific food habits and preferences of targeted populations. Nutrient interactions: Include nutrient-nutrient interactions and nutrient-matrix interactions. Addition of nutrients should not create an imbalance of essential nutrients. Slide 17

18. This is especially important for doubly, triply, or multiply fortified foods, in which interaction among the added nutrients (and also among the added nutrients and the nutrients that are naturally present in the food carrier) is likely to occur. Bioavailability and stability of the nutrient The added nutrient should be stable under normal conditions of storage and use to ensure its bioavailability to the body. Data on the stability of the added nutrient are also important for labeling purposes. Acceptability of the fortified food The fortified food should be acceptable by the population in terms of cost (price) and sensory characteristics. Accessibility of the fortified food. The food should be distributed to as much of the targeted population as possible. Slide 18

19. Effect of processing on the stability of added nutrients The stability of nutrients is affected by many chemical and physical factors. Consequently, processing parameters must be selected and controlled during the processing of fortified food to minimise nutrient losses. Compared with vitamins, minerals (iron and iodine) are very stable under extreme processing conditions. The primary mechanism of loss of minerals is through leaching of water-soluble materials. Slide 19

20. Vitamin A, on the other hand, is very labile in the processing environment. Vitamin A is susceptible to both oxidative damage and temperature modification. In the form of retinol, vitamin A is more labile than its ester form; for this reason, vitamin A esters are usually used for food fortification. The stability of vitamin A is also strongly affected by pH. At a pH of less than 5, vitamin A is susceptible to oxidation. Slide 20

21. At low pH, vitamin A tends to isomerise from the trans to the cis configuration , which has a lower vitamin activity. The problem of low pH is encountered especially during juice processing. Fruit juices usually have a low pH (about 3.0). To compensate for low pH, carbonation, which expels oxygen, may be used to stabilise vitamin A. Slide 21

22. Food fortification in Malawi Malawi mandates the fortification of cooking oil and sugar with vitamin A, and wheat flour with vitamin A, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B 6 , folate, vitamin B 12 , iron, and zinc.

23. Flour fortification Flour fortification is adding vitamins and minerals to flour during the milling process so that staple foods are more nutritious. Wheat and maize lose much of their nutrients in the milling process. Fortification replaces those and can add other vitamins and minerals as needed.

24. Micronutrients loss during maize and wheat milling

25. Minerals and vitamins used in flour fortification Iron Zinc Folic Acid (B9) Thiamine (B1) Riboflavin (B2) Niacin (B3) B12 Vitamin A Vitamin D

26. Premix components The most common flour fortification practice is to add multiple vitamins and minerals using a single ingredient called a premix. Premix includes: Fortificants (powdered vitamins and minerals) Excipients (carriers, fillers) Free-flow agent Premix may have a yellow or green colour . This does not affect the colour of flour because premix is added in such small amounts.

27. Non- Fortificant Premix Components   Excipient Lowers premix bulk density to match flour. Improves feeding and blending. Also referred to as carrier or filler. Examples include starch or maltodextrin. Free-flow agent Keeps the premix from clumping and bridging in the hopper. Examples include tri-calcium phosphate or precipitated silica (Silicon dioxide).

28. End of Topics 4 Please read further