Principles of using nutritional fortification

The total number of nutritional fortification agents used in the world is 130. In China, nutritional fortification agents are in the 16th category of food additives. According to GB14880-94 national standards included in the list of 37 kinds, including 12 kinds of amino acids and oxygen-containing compounds, 17 kinds of vitamins and 8 kinds of minerals, the scope of use and the amount of use of these product varieties are clearly defined, and the implementation rules have been formulated.

In such a large number of nutrient fortification, according to the different circumstances of scientific and reasonable choice of nutrient fortification, should follow certain principles.

1. Before choosing to fortify a nutrient, other sources of that nutrient in the diet must be considered to ensure that the level of that nutrient is not excessive after the intake of fortified food on the one hand; on the other hand, the addition of that nutrient should be really necessary, and the amount of the nutrient fortified should make a significant increase in its dietary content, so that the intake of the usual amount of food can get sufficient of that nutrient.

2. Pay attention to the balance between various nutrients and prevent imbalance in nutrient intake due to food fortification; moreover, the addition of an essential nutrient to food should not adversely affect the metabolism of other nutrients.

3. Try to choose nutrition fortification agents with high biological activity and stability. For example, the nutritional potency of iron varies greatly depending on the form used. For example, some nutrients can be destroyed by exposure to air or heat, such as vitamin A, ascorbic acid and riboflavin, and amino acids can be destroyed by light, heat and oxidation. The β-carotene content of flour is very small, and the stability of β-carotene is relatively high, so it can be added to bread and biscuits in appropriate amounts (0.5mg/kg of flour), after dough modulation, rising (bread) or pressing (biscuits), baking its The amount retained is still as high as 83.3%.

4. Try to choose nutritional fortification agents that can be easily absorbed by the body, and avoid fortification agents that are insoluble, difficult to absorb or easily affected by the absorption rate of food. Some inorganic salts and vitamins are easily destroyed by interaction in food or lost due to water washing, so the nutrients added should not interfere with the original food, such as iron can be some mono-acid, ester acyl formation precipitate in food.

5. Fortification with an essential nutrient must be accompanied by technical methods for its determination and monitoring.

6. The added nutrient should not adversely affect the characteristics of the food, such as safety, colour, flavour, taste, texture, cooking properties, etc., nor should it unduly shorten the shelf life of the food.