In vitro bioavailability of iron from wheat flour fortified with ascorbic acid, EDTA and sodium hexametaphosphate, with or without iron

A laboratory scale technology was developed to fortify wheat flour with absorption promoters of iron, such as ascorbic acid, disodium ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (NaEDTA) and with a stabilizer, sodium hexametaphosphate (SHMP), with or without iron. The in vitro bioavailability of iron in food (Indian bread, chapathi) prepared with the wheat flour fortified at 60 mg of iron/kg in the presence (1:1 molar ratio) or absence of the three chemical additives was tested. NaEDTA and ascorbic acid enhanced the in vitro bioavailability of native iron from Indian bread while SHMP had no effect. All three additives showed a trend of enhancing the in vitro bioavailabilty of total iron (native and added iron) from iron fortified chapathis. The predicted bioavailability of iron in man from Indian bread containing ascorbic acid or NaEDTA was twice as high than that with wheat flour alone or that with SHMP (8%). Similar enhancing effects of these two compounds were shown with iron-fortified wheat flour. It is concluded that wheat flour fortified with ascorbic acid or NaEDTA, either with or without iron, can enhance the predicted bioavailability of both native and added iron in man.     

Nutritional,microbial and sensory attributes of bread fortified with defatted watermelon seed flour

The utilisation of natural food supplements to fortify staples is considered as one of the effective means of dealing with global food nutrient deficiency. Herein, we report the nutritional, microbial and sensorial characteristics of defatted watermelon seed fortified bread. The protein content and level of micronutrients such as phosphorus, potassium, iron and calcium increased with increasing proportion of watermelon seed flour in the bread. Notably, calcium resulted as the highest micronutrient in the bread samples, whereas the content of iron in the fortified samples improved significantly. The defatted watermelon seed flour had a high iron content of about 12.1 mg/100 g as compared to the normal (unfortified) bread of 0.01 mg/100 g. The total microbial count results for all the fortification levels complied with the acceptable microbial quality requirement. Lastly, the consumer acceptability test did not show any significant difference between all levels of fortification with watermelon seed flour.     

Micronutrient fortification: WFP experiences and ways forward

Micronutrient deficiencies represent a largely invisible, but often devastating, form of malnutrition that is particularly prevalent among WFP's beneficiary populations already lacking sufficient food. Known effects of micronutrient deficiencies include impaired physical and mental growth among children, iron-deficiency anemia, maternal mortality, low adult labor productivity and blindness. WFP makes important, often pioneering contributions to overcoming such deficiencies through: Careful attention to micronutrients in needs assessment and ration planning, Delivering fortified foods, particularly to nutritionally-vulnerable groups, on an increasingly large scale, Promotion and use of locally-produced and fortified commodities in more than a dozen low income, food deficit countries, Advocacy for fortification at national and international policy levels. Important activities in local processing and fortification have recently taken place in countries like Zambia, Angola, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and in the context of the regional southern Africa drought emergency. Each case demonstrates that where micronutrient deficiencies are an operational concern local fortification is possible, albeit challenging. Several ongoing assessments of the impact of such initiatives suggest important nutritional benefits. That said, challenges remain in terms of technical and managerial capacity constraints, the need for systematic compliance with procurement specifications and quality control, clearer policies on micronutrient content labeling, and the need for cash resources to support many aspects associated with local processing and fortification activities.     

Development, Stability, and Sensory Testing of Microcapsules Containing Iron, Iodine, and Vitamin A for Use in Food Fortification

Iodine, vitamin A, and iron deficiencies are important public health problems in developing countries and often coexist in vulnerable groups, such as pregnant women and young children. Food fortification can be a sustainable, cost‐effective strategy to combat these deficiencies. In remote, rural areas of subsistence farming, salt may be 1 of few regularly purchased food items and is therefore likely to be a good food vehicle for fortification. However, fortification of salt is challenging due to the white color and highly reactive impurities, and added micronutrients often cause color changes. Encapsulation may prevent or reduce these reactions. Potassium io‐date, retinyl palmitate, and ferric pyrophosphate were microencapsulated in hydrogenated palm fat by spray cooling. The size and morphology of the sprayed microparticles and losses of iodine and vitamin A during spraying were analyzed. The microcapsules were added to local salt in Morocco. During storage for 6 mo, color change in the triple fortified salt (TFS) was acceptable, and iodine losses were approximately 20% comparable to the iodized salt (IS). Stability of retinyl palmitate was excellent, resulting in losses of only about 12% after 6 mo of storage. Sensory tests were performed with typical Moroccan dishes cooked with either TFS or IS by triangle testing. No sensory difference was detectable, and overall acceptability of the salt was good. Encapsulation by spray cooling produces highly stable microcapsules containing iodine, vitamin A, and iron for salt fortification in Africa. Such capsules may also be used to fortify other dry matrices (for example, sugar, flour).     

Nutrition in emergencies: WFP experiences and challenges

WFP and its partners have made significant strides in the last decade towards tackling malnutrition in emergencies. Since malnutrition is an important determinant of mortality, food interventions play a key role in saving lives through their impact on the nutrition and health of affected populations. Humanitarian interventions aiming to prevent the deterioration, or promote recovery, of nutritional status have to be carefully tailored to the nature of each crisis and seek to address underlying causes. There are three elements crucial to successful action: Ensuring that a nutritionally-appropriate food basket is formulated to meet local needs, that it arrives on time and in coordinated fashion (not one commodity one month, another the next). Some food commodities are needed in small amounts (iodized salt and fortified blended foods) but their inclusion and delivery are often critical to positive nutrition outcomes. The importance of micronutrients in achieving the goals of emergency operations is increasingly well-understood and there is evidence of the need for greater use of fortified foods than in the past. Coupling food with essential nonfood inputs is important in nutrition programming. Cash resources are required by WFP for a variety of nutrition and public health activities, including local milling/fortification of cereals, local procurement of fortified blended foods, and support for complementary activities such as nutrition education, training, and deworming. An ability to offer sustained improvements in nutrition will depend on strong collaboration with partners skilled in nutrition and public health, including information management. Better linking of emergency programming with nonemergency activities is required so that underlying processes contributing to serious malnutrition are effectively tackled in the long run.     

Nutrient addition to corn masa flour: effect on corn flour stability, nutrient loss, and acceptability of fortified corn tortillas

BACKGROUND: Iron, zinc, and vitamin B complex are among the most prevalent nutritional deficiencies in Mexico, with iron deficiency being the leading cause of anemia. Mexico has the highest per capita consumption of corn in the world, consumed mainly as tortilla. Thus, corn flour for making tortillas has been suggested as an effective strategy to overcome malnutrition in developing countries such as Mexico where corn is a staple food. The stability of micronutrients added to food is an important factor for the success of fortification programs. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the stability of corn flour fortified with micronutrients, and to measure the effect of micronutrient fortification on the sensory quality and stability of the fortificants in fresh and stored tortilla. METHODS: A commercially homogenized nonfortified corn flour (NCFC) produced from degermed white corn was fortified with a premix containing iron, zinc, thiamin, and riboflavin. Changes in thiamin, riboflavin, iron, and zinc content in fortified corn flour (FCF) and nonfortified corn flour (NFCF) during storage were investigated. Vitamin B1 and B2 content was determined by fluorescence spectroscopy while iron and zinc content was analyzed by atomic absorption. RESULTS: Thiamin content in FCF and NFCF showed a significant (p < .05) decrease (24% and 37%, respectively) after 90 days of storage. Riboflavin losses of 18% and 22% were observed for FCF and NFCF, respectively. FCF retained over 90% of iron, while zinc content remained constant. Losses of thiamin (27 to 39%) and riboflavin (37%) were produced during the process to convert corn masa flour into tortillas. CONCLUSIONS: Storage time slightly affected the stability of riboflavin and thiamin in FCF while the cooking process produced considerable losses of both vitamins. Tortillas made from FCF were well accepted by Mexican adults. We conclude that the addition of vitamins and minerals in the forms and quantities used in this study do not modify the shelf-life of corn flour, and neither do they cause sensorial changes in tortillas made from FCF.     

甘氨酸螯合铁理化性质的研究

通过贮藏试验，研究了甘氨酸螯合铁的理化性质。甘氨酸螯舍铁的氧化稳定性明显好于硫酸亚铁。在水溶液中，甘氨酸螯合铁非常稳定，而硫酸亚铁极易水解、沉淀析出。硫酸亚铁对油脂的催化氧化作用显著，而甘氨酸螯合铁对油脂催化氧化作用极小。添加甘氨酸铁的面粉中维生素A的氧化降解速度常数Ka值显著小于添加硫酸亚铁的对照组。     

STORAGE STABILITY OF FERROUS IRON IN WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR NAAN PRODUCTION

Premix containing ferrous sulfate, ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid and folic acid (20.0:20.0:1.5 ppm) was used to fortify whole wheat flour stored at ambient temperature for 42 days. Naans (flat bread) were prepared from 0‐, 20‐, 40‐ and 60‐ppm ferrous iron‐fortified flour samples at weekly intervals and were analyzed for physicochemical constants and sensory evaluation. It was observed that flour containing 60‐ppm ferrous sulfate contained the highest iron residues. Total iron in flour samples showed no significant difference, while ferrous iron significantly decreased in fortified flour (0.53–3.08%) and in the naans (0.42–3.48%) because of its oxidation to ferric iron during storage. Phytic acid content decreased (0.886–0.810%) significantly during the same storage period. Iron levels affected some sensory characteristics significantly (P ≤ 0.05) including color, texture, flexibility, chewability and overall acceptability of the naans, but not taste and flavor. The sensory attributes of naans illustrated that naans containing 40‐ppm ferrous iron are more acceptable than those prepared with 60‐ppm ferrous iron.     

Production of maize–bambara groundnut complementary foods fortified pre‐fermentation with processed foods rich in calcium,iron, zinc and provitamin A

BACKGROUND: Maize–bambara groundnut complementary foods are deficient in calcium, iron, zinc and vitamin A. Food‐to‐food fortification could be cheaper, safer and more easily adopted by local communities compared to the use of chemically pure compounds and vitamins to enrich such foods. RESULTS: Maize–bambara groundnut complementary foods fortified for iron, zinc, calcium and vitamin A by blending with a multi‐mix (1.41:1:2.25, w/w) of processed roselle calyces, cattle bones, and red palm oil in a 1:2.1 (w/w) ratio showed significant increases in calcium, iron, zinc and vitamin A contents of 3.26–4.225, 0.083–0.134 and 0.015–0.017 g kg^?1 and 4855.3–7493.7 µgRE kg^?1, respectively. CONCLUSION: The maize–bambara groundnut foods had calcium, iron, zinc and vitamin A contents that satisfy the proposed nutrient requirements for infants. Only the maize–bambara groundnut and maize–bambara groundnut malt fermented by backslopping [(MB)_b and (MB_m)_b] containing red palm oil emulsified with Brachystegia eurycoma had calcium contents significantly (P < 0.05) higher than Nutrend, a complementary food produced by Nestle (Nigeria) PLC. These products are from raw materials produced in commercial quantities by rural farmers using household level technologies which the rural and urban poor can more easily access in order to reduce micronutrient malnutrition. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry     

Maize-Based Gluten-Free Bread: Influence of Processing Parameters on Sensory and Instrumental Quality

The performance of maize bread with spongy texture is still a technological challenge due to the absence of a natural network required for holding the carbon dioxide released during the fermentation process. The objective of this research was to investigate the influence of different maize varieties (regional and hybrid), milling process (electric and water mill), formulation and processing variables on the sensory and instrumental (specific volume, texture and colour) quality attributes of corn bread. For that purpose, the traditional breadmaking process applied to the development of the ethnic Portuguese bread (broa) obtained from composite maize–rye–wheat flour was modified to produce gluten-free broa. Significant differences (P < 0.05) between regional and hybrid maize were detected in terms of protein, amylose, and maximum, minimum and final viscosities as evaluated by Rapid Visco Analyser. Concerning the effect of milling process, the grinding in a water mill occurs at slower rate than it does in the electrical mill, in consequence the flour from water milling had lower ash content and higher maximum, minimum and final viscosities than the one obtained from electrical milling. An important point in the breadmaking process was the flour blanching that resulted in doughs with higher consistency, adhesiveness, springiness and stickiness as measured by texture analyser, due to the partial gelatinisation of the corn starch. Baking assays demonstrated sensory preference for regional in detriment of hybrid maize varieties for traditional broa production. Breadmaking technology could be satisfactorily applied to produce gluten-free broa.     

Short communication: Production of cottage cheese fortified with vitamin D

The availability of alternative food products fortified with vitamin D could help decrease the percentage of the population with vitamin D deficiency. The objective of this study was to fortify cheese with vitamin D. Cottage cheese was selected because its manufacture allows for the addition of vitamin D after the draining step without any loss of the vitamin in whey. Cream containing vitamin D (145 IU/g of cream) was mixed with the fresh cheese curds, resulting in a final concentration of 51 IU/g of cheese. Unfortified cottage cheese was used as a control. As expected, the cottage cheese was fortified without any loss of vitamin D in the cheese whey. The vitamin D added to cream was not affected by homogenization or pasteurization treatments. In cottage cheese, the vitamin D concentration remained stable during 3 weeks of storage at 4°C. Compared with the control cheese, the cheese fortified with vitamin D showed no effects of fortification on cheese characteristics or sensory properties. Cottage cheese could be a new source of vitamin D or an alternative to fortified drinking milk.     

Fusarium mycotoxins in milling streams from the commercial milling of maize imported to the UK,and relevance to current legislation

A study in three large commercial UK maize mills showed that Fusarium mycotoxins, such as deoxynivalenol, zearalenone and fumonisins present at mill intake, are distributed in milling streams approximately according to their occurrence in the maize seed structure. Fractions derived from the endosperm tended to contain the lowest levels of mycotoxins. Concentrations of mycotoxins within the endosperm are also related to the particle size. However, the products derived from the embryo or outer seed layers contained the highest mycotoxin levels being concentrated up to five times or more, although these components are normally used for animal feed or industrial use. The general pattern of mycotoxin distribution found when milling French and Argentinean maize was similar, although very variable, and it is concluded that this variability stems from different milling strategies used at each mill and from the nature and condition of each consignment of maize. Mycotoxins in maize grits (particle sizes >500 µm) were usually reduced by the greatest amount when compared with the whole maize, while flour (≤500 µm) could be both reduced or increased depending on the mill and consignment. Thus, in most situations mycotoxin concentrations in whole maize that meet European Commission legislation on intake should give rise to levels in milled ingredients that should also do so. However, this was not always true in some ingredients, especially for fumonisins in those fractions with particle size ≤500 µm.     

EFFECT OF PACKAGING MATERIALS ON THE QUALITY OF IRON-FORTIFIED WHOLEMEAL FLOUR DURING STORAGE

ABSTRACT

The effect of packaging materials on the physicochemical and rheological characteristics of iron‐fortified wholemeal flour (WMF) during storage was determined. WMF was fortified with three fortificants, namely ferrous sulfate (30 ppm), ferrous sulfate + ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA) (20 + 20 ppm) and elemental iron (60 ppm). Each flour was also fortified with 1.5 ppm folic acid. Moisture, flour acidity and peroxide value increased during storage, while protein and fat contents decreased. Highest conversion of Fe²⁺ into Fe³⁺was observed in flour fortified with ferrous sulfate (2.72%), followed by that fortified with ferrous sulfate + EDTA (1.49%) and elemental iron (1.06%). Water absorption and dough viscosity of iron‐fortified flours increased during storage. The flour containing ferrous sulfate was most acceptable regarding sensory characteristics, followed by samples containing ferrous sulfate + EDTA. Fortified flours were more stable during storage than unfortified. Addition of EDTA increased the stability of flours and fortificants. The fortified flours stored in polypropylene bags proved more stable than those stored in the tin boxes.

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

The main role of packaging is to protect the product during handling, distribution and storage against environmental and mechanical hazards. The success of a fortification program depends on the stability of micronutrients and food to which these are added. Chemical changes during storage badly affect chapatti making and sensory properties. Exposure of the fortificant to any factor including heat, moisture, air or light, and acid or alkaline environments during processing, packaging, distribution, or storage affects its stability. Flour containing elemental iron and ferrous sulfate with EDTA remained stable up to 42 days. The unfortified flour and flour containing ferrous sulfate remained stable for 21 days in tin boxes and 28 days in the polypropylene bags. Wheat flour milling industry would be benefited from this research if government is keen to launch iron fortification program in the country to curb iron deficiency anemia among population.

     

Composition of Ghanian fermented maize meal and the effect of soya fortification on sensory properties

There were no significant differences in the composition of four fermented maize doughs used by different ethnic groups in Ghana. The average maize dough contained 49.6% moisture, 37.5% starch and had a titratable acidity of 4.3 mg NaOH g^?1 and pH of 3.76. Fermented maize dough (48% m.c.) was fortified with defatted soya flour at 50, 100, 150 and 200 g kg^?1 on a replacement basis and used in two traditional food products. Triangle taste tests indicated a significant difference between the control and samples fortified with 10% or more soya flour. Based on a preference test, maize dough products with up to 10% added soya flour were acceptable to Ghanaians.     

Significance of different milling methods on white proso millet flour physicochemical,rheological, and baking properties

Proso millet is a nutritious, sustainable, and gluten free food which is currently underutilized. They can be incorporated into the grain industry and provide much needed healthy alternatives. Efficient grinding method should be adopted for easy incorporation. This study aimed to investigate the effect of three different methods of grinding namely, roller milling (RM), pin milling (PM), and hammer milling (HM) on proso millet flour rheology and baking properties for food application. The milling flow sheet was developed toward the production of the quality whole grain flour. The particle size distribution of all the flours showed bi-modal distribution except for the RM flour. The PM produced the flour with the finest particles with geometric mean diameter of 82 μm. The study also revealed that starch damage in the PM flour (4.64%) was higher than RM (2.46%) and HM flour (2.51%). The nutritional composition was not significantly affected by different grinding methods. Pasting properties of the flour were also affected by the grinding method applied. Rapid Visco Analysis profile showed pin mill flour to have a higher peak viscosity (PV) (2,295 cP) compared to HM (2,065 cP) and RM flour (2,130 cP). Finally, this study demonstrated that the production of bread from proso millet flour with desirable quality and texture is possible. The grinding method did not affect the specific volume of bread loaves and C-cell characteristics. The specific volume of the breads ranged from 2.40 to 2.52 cm³/g. This study will help in promoting and producing value-added proso millet food products with enhanced nutritional quality.     

Acceptability of complementary foods and breads prepared from zinc-fortified cereal flours among young children and adults in Senegal

We completed a series of studies to assess the acceptability of zinc-fortified, cereal-based complementary foods and zinc-fortified wheat breads. Young children and their caregivers completed acceptability tests with complementary foods fortified with iron only (60 mg iron as ferrous fumarate per kilogram cereal flour), or the same level of iron and zinc (240 mg zinc as zinc oxide per kilogram cereal flour), and the caregivers completed triangle taste tests to compare the same products. A separate group of adult participants completed acceptability tests with wheat breads fortified with iron and folic acid (15 mg iron as ferrous fumarate per kilogram flour and 1.5 mg folic acid per kilogram flour) or the same levels of iron-folic acid and 2 levels of zinc (63 mg zinc or 126 mg zinc as zinc oxide per kilogram flour). Finally, a threshold test was administered to another group of adult participants to compare nonfortified wheat bread to breads fortified with zinc in 80 mg increments ranging from 80 to 400 mg zinc as zinc oxide per kilogram flour. All products were acceptable when compared to non-zinc-fortified equivalents, and were well liked by the respective participants. For the triangle tests, caregivers were not able to detect significant differences between products. For threshold tests, adult participants detected differences in breads prepared from fortified wheat flour at 80 mg, 160 mg, and 320 mg zinc per kilogram flour, but not at 240 mg and 400 mg zinc per kilogram flour, respectively, when compared to nonfortified bread equivalents. Zinc fortification of cereal flours in the ranges of fortification that were tested does not adversely affect the acceptability of complementary foods and breads prepared from these flours. Practical Application: Fortification of staple food products is a low-cost approach to deliver additional micronutrients (including zinc) to large segments of a population. Determining the acceptability of products fortified with zinc is an important step in the development of zinc fortification programs.     

Chemical evaluation of nutritive value of soya paps and porridges,the Nigerian weaning foods

The nutritive value of paps and porridges prepared using millet, guinea corn and maize was assessed by chemical analysis before and after supplementation with soya bean milk or flour. Millet porridge fortified with soya bean milk had the highest amounts of protein and essential amino acids.The nutrient status of the fortified paps and porridges was comparable with that of a commercial weaning food, cerelac. The value of the soya bean paps and porridges as weaning foods for Nigerian children is discussed.     

我国小麦粉市场现状及新标准解读

根据我国小麦粉市场现状,就国家标准<小麦粉>GB1355-2005(报批稿)的修订意义进行讨论和阐述.提出赋予小麦粉及其制成品更丰富营养内涵的课题,以期引起业界的重视.     

Composition,processing, and quality control of whole flaxseed products used to fortify foods

Whole flaxseed (flour) as a good source of omega-3 fatty acid and phytochemicals with excellent nutritional and functional attributes has been used to enrich foods for health promotion and disease prevention. However, several limitations and contemporary challenges still impact the development of whole flaxseed (flour)-enriched products on the global market, such as naturally occurring antinutritional factors and entrapment of nutrients within food matrix. Whole flaxseed (flour) with different existing forms could variably alter the techno-functional performance of food matrix, and ultimately affect the edible qualities of fortified food products. The potential interaction mechanism between the subject and object components in fortified products has not been elucidated yet. Hence, in this paper, the physical structure and component changes of flaxseed (flour) by pretreatments coupled with their potential influences on the edible qualities of multiple fortified food products were summarized and analyzed. In addition, several typical food products, including baked, noodle, and dairy products were preferentially selected to investigate the potential influencing mechanisms of flaxseed (flour) on different substrate components. In particular, the altered balance between water absorption of flaxseed protein/gum polysaccharides and the interruption of gluten network, lipid lubrication, lipid–amylose complexes, syneresis, and so forth, were thoroughly elucidated. The overall impact of incorporating whole flaxseed (flour) on the quality and nutritional attributes of fortified food products, coupled with the possible solutions against negative influences are aimed. This paper could provide useful information for expanding the application of whole flaxseed (flour) based on the optimal edible and nutritional properties of fortified food products.     

Comparison of enhancement in bioaccessible iron and zinc in native and fortified high‐phytate oilseed and cereal composites by activating endogenous phytase

In developing countries, iron and zinc deficiencies are mostly attributable to poor bioavailability of iron and zinc. The study aimed at enhancing the bioaccessibility of minerals in high‐phytate oilseed and cereal flour mixes by activating the intrinsic phytase of wheat flour. The flour mixes were fortified with iron and zinc separately for comparison. The flour mixes were incubated at optimum conditions of temperature and pH for phytase activation. Phytase activation enhanced bioaccessible iron by 43–162% in native and 40–168% in fortified wheat–soya, 83–192% in native and 97–240% in fortified wheat–groundnut flour mixes in relation to control flour mixes. Bioaccessible zinc was enhanced by 87–183% in native and 30–113% in fortified wheat–soya, 31–65% in native and 61–186% in fortified wheat–groundnut flour mixes. Endogenous phytase activation was effective in enhancing bioaccessibility of iron and zinc in native and fortified flour composites economically.