Fortification of foods with iron

Iron has many different roles in the body. Iron is essential for almost every organism due to its involvement in a wide variety of metabolic processes.

Iron deficiency is the most common nutritional deficiency disorder in the world, affecting more than two billion people, mostly infants, children and women of childbearing age. About 40% of the world’s population (i.e. more than 2 billion individuals) is thought to suffer from anemia, i.e. low blood hemoglobin.

In general, iron deficiency symptoms are attributed due to an insufficient supply of iron to the tissues, and probably not to lowered hemoglobin level.

Consuming foods with vitamin C, such as citrus, tomatoes, or red peppers with meals can help increase iron absorption. Whole-grain, enriched, and iron-fortified bread and cereal products are also good sources of iron.

Fortification of food with iron, when an appropriate diet is not available, is considered the best sustainable way of preventing iron deficiency. It is the most sustainable, convenient, and cost-effective tool for its management.

A number of foods have been effectively fortified with iron, including salt, sugar, curry powder, and fish sauce. Milk, dried milk, and various milk-derived foods have been fortified with iron in South America. Iron-fortified baby food is a great tool to effectively control iron deficiency anemia.

Foods for young children were fortified with iron, a practice which has substantially reduced the risk of iron-deficiency anemia in this age group.

Cereal flours (wheat and maize) are currently the most common vehicles for iron fortification to reach the general population.
Fortification of foods with iron

Food fortification with minerals and vitamins

Food fortification with minerals and vitamins The addition of vitamins and minerals to fortified foods and beverages represents added sales for many food manufacturers.

Under ideal condition of food access and availability, food diversity should satisfy micronutrient and energy needs of the general population. Unfortunately, for many people in the world, the access to a variety of minerals and vitamins rich foods is not possible.

During processing and preparation, foods such as wheat and rice may lose some of their vitamin or mineral content.

Some of the nutrients, such as vitamin B (thiamin), vitamin B2 (riboflavin), niacin, iron and calcium, may be added back to the processed food.

Fortification is intended to deliver nutrients to the neural public in an effort to deter certain nutrient deficiencies.

Ninety percent of teenage girls don't get enough calcium in their diet, according to the USDA.

Research shows that a calcium-poor diet in childhood and adolescence is the greatest predictor of future bone fractures due to osteoporosis. The mineral may also help to lower high blood pressure, protect against colon cancer and lead poisoning, and ease premenstrual syndrome.

Potassium also has been shown to lower high blood pressure, which affects one in four adults. While magnesium may decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease, prevent migraines, and protect against stress and fatigue.

Selenium may protect against cancer of the colon, esophagus, lungs and liver. In addition, a diet low in selenium could play a role in male infertility.

Thiamin used in food fortification are usually in the form of thiamin hydrochloride or thiamin nitrate. Of the thiamin is absent or too low in the diet for prolonged periods, this can result in beriberi. Beriberi can cause damage to the nervous system, heart and muscles.

A pregnant women needs to increase her intake of folic acid, iron and certain trace elements,. This can b done through supplementation as well as food fortification.

Folic acid, or folate, reduces the risk of neural tube birth defects, such as spina bifida, when consumed in adequate amounts by women before and during early pregnancy.

Since not all pregnancies are planned and pre-pregnancy preparation is not common, fortification of flour with folic acid has been made mandatory in Canada and the United States in order to prevent neural tube defects.

In 1998, the FDA ordered producers of most grain-based products to fortify with folic acid at levels ranging from 0.43 mg to 1.4 mg per pound of product.

In clinical trials, a significant increase in serum folate levels resulted in a substantial decrease in levels of homocysteine, an amino acid in the blood that has been linked to heart disease risk.

In addition, folate may improve the mental condition of the elderly population.

It is recommended the elderly Americans increase their dietary intake of vitamins C (200 mg/day) & E (200 IU/day) to protect against age-related chronic illnesses, such as cardiovascular disease, cataracts and cancer.

Food fortification is a media to long term solution to alleviate specific nutrient deficiencies in a population. It involves the addition of measured amounts of a nutrient rich ‘premix’ which contains the required vitamin and minerals, to commonly eaten foods during processing.  

Food fortification with minerals and vitamins