Methods To Improve
Nutritional Quality
Dr. Uttara Singh, GHSC 10
FORTIFICATION
• WHO has defined food fortification as the process whereby
nutrients are added to foods to maintain or improve the
quality of the diet of a group, a community or a population.
• Food fortification is generally recognized as being the most
efficient as well as the most cost effective measures of
eliminating micronutrient deficiencies has been successfully
used as a tool to fight these deficiencies in many developed
countries.
• Nutrient fortification further increases the cost effectiveness
of fighting various deficiencies through one food product
e.g., iron and vitamin C.
• The right food to be fortified, the right amount and the
combination of nutrient and the most bioavailable form of the
nutrient should be selected for successful fortification. Food
fortification is the safest way to deliver necessary amounts of
micronutrients to the majority of a population in an effective
manner- it even reaches secondary target risk groups like the
elderly and those who have an unbalanced diet.
• Attempts have been made in India to fortify water and foods so
as to prevent micronutrient deficiency. These include-
• Fortification of vanaspati
• Milk with vitamin A and D.
• Iodization of salt.
• Selection of right food item to act as a carrier or vehicle
plays a crucial role in food fortification. In order to
qualify as a suitable vehicle for fortification, food item
and the nutrient should fulfill certain criteria.
• CRITERIA FOR SELECTION-
• Should be consumed by high proportion of
population
• Un-related to socio-economic status
• Low potential for excessive intake
• No change in consumer’s acceptability
• TECHNICAL CRITERIA-
• Centrally processed
• Minimal segregation of fortificant and
vehicle
• Minimal regional variation
• Limited shelf-life
• High bio-availability
• Simple, low cost technology
Foods that can be used for
fortification
For iron For vitamin A For multiple fortification
Wheat flour Wheat flour Wheat flour
Rice Rice Rice
Sugar Sugar Sugar
Curry powder Oil Curry powder
Tea
Fortified Common Salt
• Common salt is considered to be a suitable vehicle for
fortification with iodine and iron.
• Iodine fortified salt- iodization of salt is time tested, effective
and economical means of combating IDDs. Many developed
countries has successfully eliminated IDD. In India, iodized
salt was initially introduced in goitre endemic areas.
• Iron fortified salts- iron fortified salts has been found to be
very effective in reducing iron deficiency in anemia in the
community. This salt contains 1mg of iron/g salt stabilizers
and absorption promoters.
Fortified cereals
• RICE- there are distinct advantages of choosing rice as a
vehicle for fortification. Firstly, it is the main dietary staple
in many countries including India. Secondly, day-to-day
consumption of rice is almost constant within age group,
and gender. Rice can be fortified with vitamin A and iron.
• WHEAT FLOUR- there are several advantages of
fortifying wheat in India. Wheat is consumed in the
various forms like- biscuits, suji, semolina, noodles- all
over the country. Fortification of wheat flour is either
done at the mill or at the bakery. Vitamin A is added to
the wheat flour.
EDIBLE OILS AS VEHICLE
• Edible fats and oils have become a part and a parcel to Indian
cuisine over ages. In India, fortification of fats dates back to
1953 when it was made compulsory to fortify 25,000 I.U. of
vitamin A per kg of vanaspati.
• Vitamin A is uniformly soluble in oil and is stable as it is
naturally protected against oxidation. Under proper storage
conditions, loss of vitamin A activity is negligible. Being a fat
soluble vitamin, the bio-availabililty of vitamin A increases in
the presence of oil.
• Yet another reason for oil to be chosen as the vehicle for
fortification is that its consumption is regular with the little
variation in the amount day by day.
FORTIFICATION OF TEA
• Fortification of tea with vitamin A is carried out way
back in 1943 in United States. In India, where the
adults take about 3 cups of tea a day and children
take 1-2 cups a day, tea can serve as a good vehicle
for fortification.
GENETICALLY MODIFIED
FOODS
• Genetically modified (GM) foods are foods that are
derived from genetically modified organisms (GMO).
In these foods , the DNA is modified through
genetic engineering. There is a controversy regarding
the safety of GM foods. Some scientists feel that GM
foods may not be safe and food that carries any
degree of risk should not be offered to people.
• GM food crops may require lower pesticide usage ,
have higher yields and are profitable to farmers.
food Properties seen in GM variety
SOYABEANS Herbicide resistance
RICE High amount of B-carotene in golden rice
SWEET CORN Produces its own biopesticide
POTATOES Very high amylopectin starch component
COTTON Pest resistant
CORN Increase in nutritive value and color
SUGARCANE High sucrose cane
• Several research and development institutions in India are
engaged in developing GM- mustard, rice, potato, tomato,
cabbage, cauliflower, brinjal and sugarcane for pest resistance and
improved quality of food item.
• GM foods are broadly of two types. The first type comprises of
those which have been modified , for example- for higher solid
content amino acid, sugar or fatty acid profiles or delayed
ripening.
The second type includes all the food items obtained from plants
which have been modified for pest resistance, disease resistance,
drought resistance.
Parboiling
• Parboiling (or leaching) is the
partial boiling of food as the first step in cooking.
The word is often used when referring to parboiled
rice. Parboiling can also be used for removing
poisonous or foul-tasting substances from foodstuffs,
and to soften vegetables before roasting them.
Supplement
• A dietary supplement is intended to
provide nutrients that may otherwise not be
consumed in sufficient quantities.
• Supplements as generally understood
include vitamins, minerals, fiber, fatty acids or amino
acids, among other substances. U.S. authorities define
dietary supplements as foods, while elsewhere they
may be classified as drugs or other products.
ENRICHMENT
• Food enrichment is the practice of adding micronutrients back to a
food product that were lost during processing.
• An enriched food is a product to which nutrients have been added.
Typically the added nutrients were present in the food in its original
form but were removed at some point during processing.
• According to the academy of nutrition and dietetics, enriched
foods and other functional foods ,have a potentially beneficial effect
on health when consumed as a part of a varied diet on a regular basis
at effective levels.
ENRICHMENT OF ROOTS AND
TUBER FLOURS WITH OIL
SEED MEALS
• Flours prepared from cassava and sweet potato are
consumed in many developing countries as a partial
substitute for cereals. Such flours have low protein
contents. The protein contents of tuber flours can be
increased by the incorporation of edible oilseed meals
from, groundnut ,cottonseed soyabean ,etc.
Some protein enriched cereal food
product for weaned infants and
PRODUCT
preschoolers
COMPOSITION PROTEIN
content %
1.Balanced malt cereal, peanut and chickpea 31.9%
food flours, skim milk powder,
calcium carbonate and vitamins .
2.Enriched wheat ,cassava, peanut
macaroni chickpea flour ,calcium carbonate 18%
NUTRI BUISCUITS Wheat flour peanut protein
isolate., 16.5%
calcium carbonate and vitamins
Bal ahar cereal floor ,peanut ,soybean,
cotton seed, chick pea floor,
calcium 22.5%
carbonate and vitamins
NOVEL FOODS
• Novel food can be described as newly developed, innovative
food or food produced using new technologies and
production processes.
• Foods and food ingredients to which has been applied a
production process not currently used, where that process
gives rise to significant changes in the composition or
structure of the foods or food ingredients which affect their
nutritional value, metabolism or level of undesirable
substances .
❑ Novel foods are foods and food ingredients may be assigned to the
following four categories:
foods with a new or intentionally modified primary molecular
structure (e.g. synthetic, calorie-free fat substitutes)
foods consisting of or isolated from micro-organisms, fungi or algae,
such as algae oil.
foods containing exotic plants not known in Europe or their parts (e.g.
noni juice) or food ingredients isolated from animals
foods resulting from a new, not commonly used production process
which gives rise to changes in the composition or structure of the
foods (e.g. high pressure pasteurized fruit products)
• Examples of novel foods and food ingredients
• Some examples of novel foods are new carbohydrates
(e.g. tagatose), new micro-organism cultures (e.g.
certain probiotic bacteria), exotic seeds or fruits (e.g.
chia seeds or the fruit of the noni tree) or foods
produced using new methods (e.g. UVC-treated milk).
• In order to regulate such products including novel food
and provide the opportunity to Food Business
Operators to innovate food products, FSSAI came up
with Food Safety and Standards (Approval of
Non-Specified Food and Food Ingredients)
Regulations, 2017. The regulation covers the
following articles of food or food ingredients:
1. Novel food or novel food Ingredients or processed with
the use of novel technology
2. New additives
3. New processing aids including enzymes
4. Articles of food and food ingredients consisting of, or
isolated from microorganisms, bacteria, yeast, fungi or
algae.
• As per the Food Safety and Standards (Health
Supplements, Nutraceuticals, Food for Special
Dietary Use, Food for Special Medical Purpose,
Functional Food, and Novel Food) Regulations,
2016, novel foods are those that:
1. May not have a history of consumption by humans; or
2. May not have any history of consumption of any
ingredient used in it or the source from which it is
derived; or
3. A food or ingredient that is obtained by using new
technology and innovative engineering process.
4. This procedure may change the size, composition, or
structure of the food or its ingredients – which may in
turn change its nutritional value, metabolism, or level of
undesirable substances.
• The term novel food refers to food that is not part of the
traditional eating habits of European citizens.
• Novel food products are foods with different
characteristics in various respects and, in this context,
they are a contrast to traditional food.
• These foods are an expression of integration of the
different food cultures, so novel food is an innovative
food or food produced using new technologies and new
production processes.
• It follows that novel foods are innovative products which
require a different production process from the standard
EU one or derived from the application of innovative bio
technologies.
