Design Of Rapid Test Kit For NaFeEDTA Determination In Iron Fortified Food

Sodium iron ethylenediaminetetraacetate (NaFeEDTA), a chelate iron compound is anew type of iron fortificants. Sufficient scientific data show that NaFeEDTA is safety interms of food additive or food fortificant, in addition, it has better effect on control andprevention of iron deficiency anemia (IDA) than that of other traditional iron fortificant.Ministry of Health, China proved application of NaFeEDTA as fortificant in 1999 andenlarged its application in soy sauce in 2002. NaFeEDTA is the exclusive iron fortificantpermitted in soy sauce fortification so far and is widely used in fortification of otherfoods, such as wheat flour.The target of this study is try to develop NaFeEDTA test kit to satisfy the rapidmeasurement requirement for both quality control and inspection through a series ofresearches including renovation of measurement methods of NaFeEDTA, designing ofthe test kit based on the overview of technology of different types of rapid test kits andevaluation of newly developed NaFeEDTA test kit. The main results of the research are:1. Renovation on ultraviolet spectrophotometric method of NaFeEDTA in ironfortified soy sauce has developed simplified measurement method by a series ofobservation on color reaction system. There are differences between soy sauce and wheatflour such as most substances in wheat flour is insoluble and different sort of soy saucescan have different composition. The renovated method optimizes the method throughchanges such as using methanol to precipitate soy sauce and new water ratio to extractflour. The method showed a feasible accuracy, veracity and precise.2. By the support of Beijing Ruili Testing Equipment Company, a NaFeEDTA test kitwas designed and equipped according to principal of renovated method and requirementof small volume, easy operation and low cost. Evaluation on the functions and testingperformance of the kit suggested that the kit is acceptable.3. The comparison of results among HPLC method, ultraviolet spectrophotometricmethod and the kit method showed the kit method is feasible. Meanwhile the kit methodshowed fast and low cost for a sample analysis. The result of this study suggested thatNaFeEDTA kit is suitable method for a quick and pilot measurement of NaFeEDTA.