AN OVERVIEW OF IMPORTANCE OF ENRICHMENT IN FOOD PROCESSING

AN OVERVIEW OF IMPORTANCE OF ENRICHMENT IN FOOD PROCESSING – FOOD SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY PROJECT TOPICS AND MATERIALS

ABSTRACT

This seminar looked at the benefits of food enrichment in food processing. Various enrichment items like vitamin A, Iron and Iodine were discussed. These will help add to the nutrients, which were absent or removed during food processing. This work also looked at the fortifying agents in salt (iodine and iron) milk and margarine (vitamin A and D), diet beverages (vitamins and minerals) among others. Food enrichment helps to treat or help prevent nutritional deficiencies and hence promote the general well being of the generality of the population.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

The nutritional status of the population is one of the important factors in determining the quality and productivity by a population, which in turn will affect, national productivity. In the long run, good nutritional status contributes to the social and economic development of a nation. However, many nutritional studies, particularly in developing countries, have indicated that certain segments of the population suffer from one or more nutrient deficiencies, which can have serious effects on their health and productivity. (Tannen baum and Young, 1979).

As in many other developing countries, three major nutritional (especially micronutrient) deficiencies are regarded as public health problems in Indonesia, iodine deficiency disorders, vitamins A deficiency and iron deficiency anaemia. The government of Indonesia has instituted programmes to cope with these three deficiencies of which is a food fortification programme.

Nutrient supplementation of foods was mentioned for the first time in the year 400BC by the Persian physician Melanpus, was suggested adding iron filing to wine to increase soldiers “potency”. In 1831 the French physician Boussingault urged adding iodine to salt to prevent goitre. However, it was between the first and second world wars (1924-1944) that supplementation was established a measure either to correction or prevent nutritional deficiencies in populations or to restore nutrients lost during food processing. Thus, during this period, the adding of iodine to salts, vitamins A and S to margarine, vitamin D to milk and vitamins B₁, B₂, niacin, and iron to flours and bread was established. (Murphy, 1996).

Currently, food fortification encompasses a broader concept and might be done for several reasons. The first is to restore nutrients lost during food processing, a process known as ­enrichment. In this case, the amount of nutrients added is approximately equal to the natural content in the food before processing. A second reason is to add nutrients that may not be present naturally in food, a process known as fortification. In this case, the amount of nutrient added may be high than that presence before processing.

Fortification also standardizes the contents of nutrients that show variable concentrations. A typical example is the addition of vitamin C to orange juice to standardize vitamin C concentration and compensate for changes due to seasonal and processing variations. Finally, for technological purposes, a preservative or colouring agents are added to processed foods.

Therefore, depending on the reasons for adding nutrients, objectives may be to maintain the nutritional quality of foods, keeping nutrients levels adequate to correct or prevent specific nutritional deficiencies in the population at large or in groups at risk of certain deficiencies (i.e., the elderly, vegetarians, pregnant women etc) to increase the added nutritional value of a product (commercial view), and to provide certain technologist functions in food processing (Borenstain, 1979).

According to these principles, currently in several countries nutrients are added to a wide variety of food carries, such as cereals, flours, bread, milk, margarine, infant formulas, soymilk, orange juice, salt, sugar, monosodium glutamate, tea, dietetic beverages and even parenteral and enteral solutions, most fortifying agents are vitamins and minerals and in some cases essential amino acids and proteins. These additions have helped to solve public health problems, such as salt iodization to prevent goitre (Tannenbaum and Marcel, 1979).

Several terms besides fortification are used for the addition of nutrients to foods: restoration, enrichment, standardization and supplementation (Tannenbaum 1979, Richardson, 1993).

Restoration is the addition of a nutrient to a food in order to restore the original nutrient content. Enrichments the addition of nutrients to foods in accordance with a standard quality as defined by food regulations. Both restoration and enrichment programmes usually involve the addition of nutrients that are naturally available or present in the food product.

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

Supplementation is the additions of nutrients that are not normally present pr are present in only minute quantities in the food. More than one nutrient may be added, and they may be added in high quantities. As compared with restoration and standardization, fortification has a special meaning: The nutrient added and the food chosen as a carrier have met certain criteria, so that the fortified product will become a good source of the nutrients for a targeted population. Nutrients added for food fortification may or may not have been present in the food a carrier originally.

OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY

This seminar investigated the importance of food enrichment in food processing.

CHAPTER TWO

Effectiveness of Food Fortifications 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 fortified products are expected to become a main source of the specific added nutrient.

Consequently, food fortification is expected to help prevent nutritional inadequacy in targeted populations in which a risk of nutrients deficiency has been identified. The criterion of the effectiveness of a food fortification programme is whether the nutritional and health status of a targeted population has been improved.

The effectiveness of a food fortification programme depends on whether or not the fortified food is accepted, purchased and consumed by the targeted population. Factors such as the quality, taste and price of the fortified products will play important poles in determining the effectiveness of the fortification programmes. Several other important factors that should be considered carefully in designing food-fortification programmes are the followings.

1. The food chosen as 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.
2. The addition of nutrients should not create an imbalance of essential nutrients. This is especially important for doubly stripy or multiply fortified foods. In which interaction among the added nutrients that are naturally present in the food carrier is likely to occur.
3. The added nutrient should be stable under normal conditions of storage and use. Data on the stability of the added nutrient are also important for labeling purposes. The price of the fortified food should be affordable for the targeted population.
4. Programmes of quality assurance and control of fortified food can be more easily implemented if the fortification programme is centralized and involves mass production.
5. The food should be distributed to as much of the targeted population as possible.

NUTRIENT STABILITY

Nutrient stability under normal conditions of storage and use is one of the important factors determining the effectiveness of a food – fortification programme. From a technical stand point, nutritional stability during formulation, preparation and processing is very crucial in determining the effective production of fortified foods. The following factors relating to nutrient stability are important for the manufacturers of fortified foods (Richardson, 1993).

1. The technologist needs to know the extent to which food processes and distribution systems could affect nutrient retention, at the same time, the technologist needs appropriate data to develop strategies for minimizing the losses caused by nutrient instability.
2. The quality, legislative and marketing specialists need adequate information on nutrient stability, especially to enable them to make statements or claims on labels and advertising.
3. The accountants needs to be aware of the stability data to establish and justify expenditures on potential modifications of processing techniques, the cost of nutrient premises e.t.c.
4. The nutritionist needs to be aware of the stability data to assess the choices and ultimately, the supply of nutrient(s) for consumers. Nutrient stability is affected by physical and chemical factors. Although many factors may cause serious nutrient degradation, measures can be developed to minimize losses by applying proper technology which includes application of a protective coating for an individual nutrient, addition of antioxidants, control of temperature, moisture and pH and protection from air, light and incompatible metals during processing and storage.

In this paper, several means to reduce the magnitude of degradation will be discussed, especially with regard to vitamin A, iodine, and iron.

Vitamin A:

Vitamin A is a critical micronutrient, essential for night visions and for the maintenance of skin and mucosal integrity. An early sign of vitamin A deficiency is night-blindness – severe vitamin A deficiency may result in permanent blindness. Vitamin A is still a major nutritional problem in Indonesia as well as in many other parts of the world. The main intervention programmes against Vitamin A deficiency administered by the Indonesia government are nutrition education, distribution of vitamin A capsules and fortification of selected widely consumed foods.

Fortification of foods with vitamin A has been shown to be a very promising strategy. A pilot project on vitamin A fortification of monosodium glutamate (MSG) in three provinces has resulted in reduction of the prevalence of vitamin A deficiency. Further developments are dependent on overcoming the odour changes caused by fortification of MSG with vitamin A. other foods, such as palm oil and noodles, have also been considered as carriers for vitamin A.