Fortified Rice Premix Formulations for the Alleviation of Micronutrient Deficiencies: Stabilization of Vitamin A in the Presence of Iron

Micronutrient deficiency maintains the cycle of poverty. A steady intake of essential nutrients is not available in developing areas due to factors of socioeconomic constraints, limited variety of food sources, and single-carbohydrate based diets. Fortification of a staple food is an effective way of combating micronutrient deficiencies.;It is technically and economically feasible to combine the micronutrients in a single formulation by introducing efficient physical and chemical barriers. Optimal formulation designs used coated vitamin A sources and retained >85% vitamin A at 6 months storage with acceptable sensory attributes.;The food product developed in this study is an extruded, micronutrient-fortified, rice-shaped premix. The target rice premix formulation contains iron, zinc, a B-vitamin complex, and vitamin A and is blended with market rice in a 1:100 ratio. Iron furthers the oxidation of vitamin A, thus various micronutrient encapsulation techniques and antioxidant systems are explored in this study.