Including calcium-fortified water or flour in modeled diets based on local foods could improve calcium intake for women, adolescent girls, and young children in Bangladesh, Uganda, and Guatemala.

Adequate calcium intake is essential for health, especially for infants, children, adolescents, and women, yet is difficult to achieve with local foods in many low- and middle-income countries. Previous analysis found it was not always possible to identify food-based recommendations (FBRs) that reached the calcium population recommended intake (PRI) for these groups in Bangladesh, Guatemala, and Uganda. We have modeled the potential contribution of calcium-fortified drinking water or wheat flour to FBR sets, to fill the remaining intake gaps. Optimized diets containing fortified products, with calcium-rich local foods, achieved the calcium PRI for all target groups. Combining fortified water or flour with FBRs met dietary intake targets for adolescent girls in all geographies and allowed a reduction from 3-4 to the more feasible 1-2 FBRs. Water with a calcium concentration of 100 mg/L with FBRs was sufficient to meet calcium targets in Uganda, but higher concentrations (400-500 mg/L) were mostly required in Guatemala and Bangladesh. Combining calcium-fortified wheat flour at 400 mg/100 g of flour and the FBR for small fish resulted in diets meeting the calcium PRI in Bangladesh. Calcium-fortified water or flour could improve calcium intake for vulnerable populations, especially when combined with FBRs based on locally available foods.

Prediction of Mineral Composition in Wheat Flours Fortified with Lentil Flour Using NIR Technology.

Lentil flour is an important source of minerals, including iron, so its use in food fortification programs is becoming increasingly important. In this study, the potential of near infrared technology to discriminate the presence of lentil flour in fortified wheat flours and the quantification of their mineral composition is evaluated. Three varieties of lentils (Castellana, Pardina and Guareña) were used to produce flours, and a total of 153 samples of wheat flours fortified with them have been analyzed. The results show that it is possible to discriminate fortified flours with 100% efficiency according to their lentil flour content and to discriminate them according to the variety of lentil flour used. Regarding their mineral composition, the models developed have shown that it is possible to predict the Ca, Mg, Fe, K and P content in fortified flours using near infrared spectroscopy. Moreover, these models can be applied to unknown samples with results comparable to ICP-MS determination of these minerals.

Consumer Acceptance and Willingness to Pay for Instant Cereal Products With Food-to-Food Fortification in Eldoret, Kenya.

BACKGROUND: Maize is the major food staple in East and Southern Africa, where food-processing industries are emerging fast. New low-cost extrusion cookers allow small enterprises to enter the market for processed cereals, including instant, fortified, and flavored products. OBJECTIVE: Assess consumers' interest and preferences for the new products. METHODS: Consumers (n = 220) in Eldoret, Kenya, were invited to evaluate 4 new cereal products: (1) sifted maize flour mixed with sorghum, (2) instant sifted mixed flour, (3) instant whole flour, and (4) instant whole flour fortified with natural ingredients and to compare them to conventional sifted maize flour, using 2 preparations: stiff porridge (ugali) and soft porridge (uji). These were followed by economic experiments to estimate consumers' willingness to pay (WTP) for the new products and traits. RESULTS: For ugali, consumers preferred conventional sifted maize flour, while for uji, they appreciated the new products, especially sifted mixed flour (with sorghum) and instant whole mixed flour. Fortification with food-to-food sources was not appreciated, especially for ugali. Comparing WTP for the traits with their production cost showed that mixed, whole, and instant flours were economical, but not fortification. Maize/sorghum mixtures realized a benefit of 24% over conventional maize flour, whole meal 11%, and instant mixtures 5%. CONCLUSIONS: There is a potential market for improved cereal products in Kenya, but more for uji than for ugali, especially with instant, mixed, and whole flour. Acceptable and affordable products, fortified with other foods that are locally available, however, still need to be developed, especially for ugali.

Systematic review and meta-analysis of the effect of iron-fortified flour on iron status of populations worldwide.

OBJECTIVE: Assess the effectiveness of iron-fortified flour on iron status. DESIGN: Systematic review and meta-analysis. SETTING: Argentina, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Brazil, Cameroon, Chile, China, Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, Denmark, India, Iran, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Mongolia, Morocco, Norway, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Thailand, UK, USA, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Vietnam, and Zambia. PARTICIPANTS: Fifty-two articles (ninety-four trials) were examined. The main target groups were women, children, and infants/toddlers. The effects of different types of iron-fortified flour (wheat, maize, rice, soy, and beans) on iron status were examined. RESULTS: A random effects analysis of before-after studies showed that iron-fortified flour led to significant increases of mean haemoglobin level (3·360 g/l; 95 % CI: 0·980, 5·730) and mean serum ferritin level (4·518 µg/l; 95 % CI: 2·367, 6·669); significant decreases of anaemia (-6·7 %; 95 % CI: -9·8 %, -3·6 %) and iron deficiency (ID) (-10·4 %; 95 % CI: -14·3 %, -6·5 %); but had no significant effect on iron deficiency anaemia (IDA). A random effects analysis of controlled trials indicated that iron-fortified flour led to significant increases of mean haemoglobin level (2·630 g/l; 95 % CI: 1·310, 3·950) and mean ferritin level (8·544 µg/l; 95 % CI: 6·767, 10·320); and significant decreases of anaemia (-8·1 %; 95 % CI: -11·7 %, -4·4 %), ID (-12·0 %; 95 % CI: -18·9 %, -5·1 %), and IDA (-20·9 %; 95 % CI: -38·4 %, -3·4 %). CONCLUSIONS: Flour fortification with iron is an effective public health strategy that improves iron status of populations worldwide.

Ultrasensitive and Rapid Determination of Folic Acid Using Ag Nanoparticles Enhanced 1, 10-Phenantroline-Terbium (III) Sensitized Fluorescence.

A novel spectrofluorimetric probe based on Ag nanoparticle (AgNPs)-enhanced terbium (III) (Tb) fluorescence was introduced for the sensitive determination of folic acid (FA). The effect of gold and silver nanoparticles in different size was investigated on the well-known Tb sensitized fluorescence emission of 1, 10-phenantroline (Phen). The greatest fluorescence intensity was observed in the presence of AgNPs with a diameter of ~6 nm maybe due to their highest surface area. Furthermore, it's discovered that FA can form Tb-Phen -FA ternary complexes and cause a notable diminution in this enhanced fluorescence system. Based on this finding, a high sensitive and selective method was developed for the determination of FA. Effects of various parameters like Ag NPs, Phen and Tb(3+) concentration and pH of media were investigated. In the optimum circumstances, the fluorescence emission of AgNPs-Phen-Tb collection was declined linearly by increasing the concentration of FA in the range of 0.5 to 110 nmol L(-1). Limits of detection and quantification were achieved to be 0.21 and 0.62 nmol  L(-1), respectively. The method has good linearity, recovery, reproducibility and sensitivity, and was adequately exploited to follow FA content in pharmaceutical, fortified flour and human urine samples.

Effectiveness of Folic Acid Fortified Flour for Prevention of Neural Tube Defects in a High Risk Region.

Despite efforts to tackle folate deficiency and Neural Tube Defects (NTDs) through folic acid fortification, its implementation is still lacking where it is needed most, highlighting the need for studies that evaluate the effectiveness of folic acid fortified wheat flour in a poor, rural, high-risk, NTD region of China. One of the most affected regions, Shanxi Province, was selected as a case study. A community intervention was carried out in which 16,648 women of child-bearing age received fortified flour (eight villages) and a control group received ordinary flour (three villages). NTD birth prevalence and biological indicators were measured two years after program initiation at endline only. The effect on the NTD burden was calculated using the disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) method. In the intervention group, serum folate level was higher than in the control group. NTDs in the intervention group were 68.2% lower than in the control group (OR = 0.313, 95% CI = 0.207-0473, p < 0.001). In terms of DALYs, burden in intervention group was approximately 58.5% lower than in the control group. Flour fortification was associated with lower birth prevalence and burden of NTDs in economically developing regions with a high risk of NTDs. The positive findings confirm the potential of fortification when selecting an appropriate food vehicle and target region. As such, this study provides support for decision makers aiming for the implementation of (mandatory) folic acid fortification in China.

Molar ratio iron: zinc and folic acid in Brazilian biscuits and snacks and test for classification using principal component analyses / Razão molar ferro: zinco e ácido fólico em biscoitos e snacks brasileiros e testes para classificação usando análise por componentes principais

The aim of the present work was to evaluate molar ratio iron:zinc and the levels of folic acid in biscuit and snacks commercialized in Brazil, prepared with folic acid and iron fortified flours. These nutrients are important for human nutrition; however, iron can have a negative effect on zinc absorption. Molar ratio iron:zinc can indicate if there will be any problems for absorption of these nutrients. The folic acid content varied from 58 to 433 μg/100g and iron and zinc levels varied from 2.9 to 9.4 mg/100g and from 0.2 to 1.3 mg/100g, respectively, for 75 analyzed samples. The average iron contents observed in the products and molar ratio iron:zinc (in average 8:1 for biscuits and 12.8:1 for snacks) could result in problems with the zinc absorption. Moreover, principal component analyses (PCA) indicated low uniformity in the distribution of minerals and vitamin in the majority of the samples, mainly among brands. The results indicated that for the majority of the samples tested folic acid and iron content was higher than expected for flours and could be useful to governmental authorities in their evaluation program of flour fortification.

O objetivo do presente trabalho foi avaliar razão molar ferro: zinco e os níveis de ácido fólico em biscoitos e snacks, comercializados no Brasil, preparados com farinhas fortificadas com ácido fólico e ferro. Esses nutrientes são importantes para nutrição humana, porém, o ferro pode ter efeito negativo na absorção do zinco. A razão molar ferro:zinco pode indicar se haverá problemas para absorção desses nutrientes. O teor de ácido fólico variou de 58 a 433 μg/100g e os níveis de ferro e zinco oscilaram de 2.9 a 9.4 mg/100g e de 0.2 a 1.3 mg/100g, respectivamente, para 75 amostras analisadas. O valor médio observado para o teor de ferro nos produtos e a razão molar ferro:zinco (em média 8:1 para biscoitos e 12,8:1 para snacks) podem resultar em problemas na absorção do zinco. Além disso, a análise por componentes principais (PCA) indicou baixa uniformidade na distribuição dos minerais e da vitamina na maioria das amostras, principalmente entre marcas. Os resultados mostraram que para muitas amostras o teor de ácido fólico e de ferro estava acima do esperado para as farinhas e podem ser utilizados pelas autoridades governamentais para a avaliação do programa de fortificação de farinhas.