A SEMINAR REPORT

ON

FOOD FORTIFICATION FOR COMBATING MICRONUTRIENT DEFICIENCES

PREPARED BY

DOSUNMU OLUWABUKOLA ALICE

H/FT/23/0961

SUBMITTED TO

FOOD TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT

SCHOOL OF PURE AND APPLIED SCIENCE

THE FEDERAL POLYTECHNIC, ILARO

OGUN STATE

JUNE, 2025

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 SUMMARY

The Fortification of food products with micronutrients to address their deficiencies is a concept

which has been introduced over a hundred years from now. Yet the problem of malnutrition still

persists in the 21st century. Micronutrient deficiencies are a problem which disproportionately

affect vulnerable groups like women, children and low income families. Fortifying foods with

required micro nutrients is a legitimate solution that employs highly effective strategies to

combat deficiencies in these essential nutrients. Food fortification has been a vital part of

missions to face micronutrient deficiencies worldwide especially in developing countries.

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 TABLE OF CONTENT

Title Page

SUMMARY ii

Table of Content iii

CHAPTER ONE 1

1.0 Introduction 1

CHAPTER TWO

2.0 MICRONUTRIENT DEFICIENCIES 3

2.1 Categories of Food Fortification 5

CHAPTER THREE

3.0 Important Elements used for Food Fortification 8

3.1 Benefits of Food Fortification 12

3.2 Limitations of Food Fortification 12

CHAPTER FOUR

4.0 Conclusion and Recommendation 14

References

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 CHAPTER ONE

1.0 Introduction

Food fortification is defined as the practice of adding vitamins and minerals to commonly

consumed foods during processing to increase their nutritional value. It is a proven, safe and

cost-effective strategy for improving diets and for the prevention and control of micronutrient

deficiencies (Adu et al., 2018). In the past two decades, food fortification has become

increasingly popular in some countries for several reasons, including rapid urbanization and

increasing household purchasing power, leading to a greater proportion of the population relying

on processed foods (DeBrauw et al., 2019).

As defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Food and Agricultural

Organization of the United Nations (FAO), fortification refers to "the practice of deliberately

increasing the content of an essential micronutrient, i.e. vitamins and minerals (including trace

elements) in a food, to improve the nutritional quality of the food supply and to provide a public

health benefit with minimal risk to health", whereas enrichment is defined as "synonymous with

fortification and refers to the addition of micronutrients to a food which are lost during

processing" (Muthayya et al., 2013).

As outlined by the FAO, the most commonly fortified foods are cereals and cereal-based

products; milk and dairy products; fats and oils; accessory food items; tea and other beverages;

and infant formulas. Undernutrition and nutrient deficiency is estimated globally to cause the

deaths of between 3 and 5 million people per year (Vosti et al., 2020).

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Principle of Fortification

Fortification, which involves the process of enhancing the nutritional content of frequently

consumed food items with micronutrients, has been widely acknowledged as a well-established,

secure, and economically efficient strategy to improve dietary quality and safeguard against

nutritional deficits (FAO, 2018). The benefits of fortification to public health have been

demonstrated over time by the scientific community. They include helping to control

micronutrient deficiencies, improving nutritional status and food intake, and thus improving

dietary habits and lifestyle (Mannar and Hurrell, 2018). Food fortification aims to tackle a

proven deficiency of one or more micronutrients within the broader population, or a particular

demographic group. Required nutrients can be provided in food to accomplish any of these:

fortification; restoration of nutrients lost during processing; the nutritional similarity of substitute

foods; and guaranteeing a special purpose food has the right nutrient makeup (Samoraj et al.,

2018).

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 CHAPTER TWO

2.0 MICRONUTRIENT DEFICIENCIES

Micronutrient deficiency is a lack of essential vitamins and minerals required in small amounts

by the body for proper growth and development. Micronutrient deficits afflict people of all

genders and ages in both industrialized and developing nations, affecting 2 billion people.

Micronutrient insufficiency has been linked to a wide range of nonspecific physiological

problems, including lower infection resistance, metabolic abnormalities, and physical and

psychomotor development (Samoraj et al., 2018). Vitamin A deficiency was found in 21% of

children over the world, with higher mortality rates from diarrhea, measles, and malaria

(Ohanenye et al., 2021). Vitamin A deficiency caused over 800,000 deaths in infants and

pregnant women worldwide, as well as 1.8 percent of eye problems. Inadequate micronutrient

intake can have a significant influence on a child's healthy growth and development, especially if

it happens during critical growth years. Micronutrient deficits have subtle effects at first, but they

steadily worsen with time, culminating in physical symptoms or clinical indications Worst of all,

by the time it manifests themselves as symptoms, the harm has already been done. Some of these

effects/consequences are irreversible, such as the child's cognitive development being stunted.

The five common nutrient deficiency includes (Jha and Warkentin, 2020):

- Vitamin A

- Iodine

- Iron

- Zinc

- Calcium and Vitamin D

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Table 1: Consequences of Micronutrient Deficiencies

Micronutrient Deficiencies can lead to

Iron  Iron-deficiency anaemia; associated with retardation in growth

and cognitive development

Vitamin A  Growth retardation of foetus/baby, along with various types of

congenital malformations

 Eye-related problems e.g. night blindness, impaired vision

(including blindness)

Iodine  Abnormal growth and development that may cause mental

retardation or brain damage.

 Prolonged deficiency can cause goiter or enlarged thyroid

gland.

Calcium and Vitamin  Poor bone density, leading to skeletal deformations or easily

D fractured bones.

 Calcium deficiency may lead to stunting

Zinc  Impaired growth and development of infants, children and

adolescents

 Weakened immune system, leading to increased susceptibility

to infections and higher risk of mortality.

Source: (Ohanenye et al., 2021)

2.1 Categories of Food Fortification

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Fortification is present in common food items in two different ways: adding back and addition.

Flour loses nutritional value due to the way grains are processed; Enriched Flour has iron, folic

acid, niacin, riboflavin, and thiamine added back to it. Conversely, other fortified foods have

micronutrients added to them that don't naturally occur in those substances (Schmidherber et al.,

2018). An example of this is orange juice, which often is sold with added calcium.

Food fortification can also be categorized according to the stage of addition:

- Large-scale Food Fortification (wheat flour, corn meal, cooking oils)

- Biofortification (breeding crops to increase their nutritional value, which can include both

conventional selective breeding and genetic engineering)

- Home fortification or Point-of-use

1. Large-Scale Food Fortification

Industrial or large-scale food fortification (LSFF) is the addition of micronutrients during

processing to commonly consumed foods such as salt, flours, oil, sugar and condiments. Large-

scale food fortification programs can be categorized as either mandatory meaning they are

initiated and regulated by the government or voluntary where food processors add nutrients to

their foods on their own volition but is still governed by regulatory limits. Mandatory

fortification programs are increasingly common, especially when it comes to fortified flour and

iodized salt. Salt iodization is perhaps the most common form and between 1990 and 2008, the

number of households globally consuming iodized salt rose from 20 percent to 70 percent.

Currently, over 130 countries have mandated iodized salt (Osendarp et al., 2018).

Mandatory wheat flour fortification was first introduced in 1942 and currently 85 countries have

since mandated its use. In North and South America, addition of folic acid to wheat flour is

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mandatory to lower the risk of birth defects. Edible oils are an increasingly common vehicle for

fortification, and thus far 27 countries have mandated oil fortification with Vitamin A; and 14

countries have mandated milk fortification, 11 countries fortify milk with both Vitamin A and D,

one country (Costa Rica) is additionally fortifying with iron and folic acid, and two countries

(China and Canada) are adding calcium, in addition to Vitamin A and D (Meija and Bower,

2015).

2. Biofortification

Biofortification refers to the increase of the micronutrient concentration in the edible part of the

plant and can be achieved both by using fertilizers and by stimulating the absorption of these

minerals in the plant while the use of nutrient fertilizers was effective in increasing the

micronutrient content in plants (Ahn et al., 2015). Biofortification projects mainly concentrate on

boosting iron, zinc and provitamin A carotenoid in different food crops through plant breeding or

agronomically (mineral fertilizer); some projects have also biofortified with amino acids and

protein. Examples of biofortification projects include iron biofortification of rice, beans, maize

and sweet potato; zinc biofortification of wheat, rice, beans, sweet potato and corn; and Vitamin

A biofortification of sweet potatoes, corn and cassava (Keats et al., 2019).

3. Home Fortification or Point-of-Use:

Point-of-use fortification is the addition of vitamins and minerals to food that has been cooked

and is ready to be eaten. Formerly known as “home fortification”, the WHO adopted the term

“point-of-use” in 2012 to reflect the many settings where this type of intervention can take place

such as in schools and refugee camps; and in 2016, recommended point-of-use fortification of

complementary foods with micronutrient powders (MNPs) as a key intervention for improving

micronutrient intake (to improve iron status and reduce anemia in particular) in children aged 6–

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24 months (De-Regil et al., 2013). Micronutrient powders are single-dose packets containing

multiple vitamins and minerals in powder form that can be sprinkled onto food without affecting

the taste or color (De-Regil et al., 2013).

CHAPTER THREE

3.1 Important Elements used for Food Fortification

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1) Iron: The greatest part of the iron in the human body is found in erythrocytes as

hemoglobin, where its main function is to carry oxygen from the lungs onto the tissues.

Iron deficiency causes anemia, the most common and widespread nutritional disorder in

the world and a public health problem in both industrialized and nonindustrialized

countries. As a component of myoglobin, a protein that supplies oxygen to the muscles,

iron supports metabolism. Additionally, iron is necessary for growth, development,

normal cellular function, and the synthesis of hormones and the connective tissue (Sirohi

et al., 2018).

2) Vitamin A: Vitamin A is the name of a group of retinoids soluble in fats, including

retinol, retinal, and retinyl esters. Vitamin A represents an essential nutrient, thus

necessary in small amounts for the normal functioning of the visual system in human

beings, maintenance of cell growth function, epithelial cell integrity, immune function,

and reproduction (Afolami et al., 2021).

Commonly, vitamin A deficiency occurs with a diet low in vitamin A sources (e.g., dairy

products, eggs, fruits, and vegetables), poor nutritional status, and a high rate of infection,

especially measles and diarrheal diseases. The best sources of vitamin A are foods of

animal origin, especially liver, eggs, and dairy products containing vitamin A in the form

of retinol, a form that can be easily used by the body (Afolami et al., 2021).

3) Iodine: Iodine is present in the body in small amounts, mainly in the thyroid gland, while

it’s only confirmed role is in the synthesis of thyroid hormones. Iodine deficiency is a

major public health problem for populations around the world but especially for young

children and pregnant women. Food iodine and iodine salt are present in several chemical

forms, including sodium and potassium salts, inorganic iodine, iodate, and iodide, the

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 reduced iodine form. Iodine rarely appears as an element but rather as a salt. For this

reason, it is called iodide and not iodine (Murray et al., 2018).

4) Vitamin C: Vitamin C is a redox system composed of ascorbic acid and dehydroascorbic

acid, which acts as an electron donor. Its main metabolic function is to maintain collagen

formation. Additionally, it functions as an important antioxidant. Vitamin C is widely

available in food of plant and animal origin, but the best sources are fresh fruits and

vegetables and the edible organs of animals. However, since vitamin C is unstable when

exposed to an alkaline environment or to oxygen, light, and heat, losses can be substantial

during storage and cooking. Foods fortified with vitamin C include milk and baby food,

juices, jelly, and candies (Thakur et al., 2023).

Acute vitamin C deficiency leads to scurvy. Scurvy evolution time varies with vitamin C

levels, but signs may occur within 1 month after the decrease or absence of vitamin C

consumption (below 10 mg/day) (Thakur et al., 2023).

Table 2: Fortified Foods to Address Micronutrient Deficiencies

Micronutrient Major Deficiency disorders Fortifying Vehicles References

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Iodine Goiter, hypothyroidism, iodine Salt, bread Zimmermann, 2020

deficiency disorders, increased

risk of stillbirth, birth defects

infant mortality, cognitive

impairment

Iron Iron deficiency, anemia, reduced Wheat and corn flours, Majumder et al., 2019

learning, and work capacity, bread, pasta, rice, salt,

increased maternal and infant infant formulas and

mortality, low birth weight cookies

Vitamin B6 Dermatitis, neurological disorders, Wheat and corn flours, Haggarty, 2021

convulsions, anemia, elevated bread, pasta, rice,

plasma homocysteine infant formulas,

cookies, and breakfast

cereals

Vitamin C Scurvy (fatigue, hemorrhages, low Diet beverages, juices, Reidy et al., 2018

resistance to infection, anemia) and substitute drinks

Vitamin D Rickets, osteomalacia, Diet beverages, juices, Reidy et al., 2018

osteoporosis, colorectal cancer and substitute drinks

Calcium Decreased bone mineralization, Soymilk, breakfast Osendarp et al., 2018

rickets, osteoporosis cereals, infant

formulas and cookies,

juices, diet beverages

and substitute drinks

Selenium Cardiomyopathy, increased cancer Milk, pasta, corn and Alsuhalbani, 2018

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 and cardiovascular risk, wheat flours, breakfast

osteoarthropathy cereals, infant

formulas, and cookies,

juices and spreads

Flouride Increased dental decay risk Infant formulas and Khan et al., 2022

cookies, breakfast

cereals, wheat, and

rice flour, milk, juices

Fatty Acids Scaly dermatitis, alopecia, mental Tiwari et al., 2018

retardation in children and

thrombocytopenia

Protein Organ failure, impaired mental Mushroom, Sausages Majumder et al., 2019

health, oedema, mararasmus, and meat products

kwashiorkor

Vitamin A Night blindness Orange, sweet potato, Afolami et al., 2021

cassava, maize, wheat

flour, edible oils, rice

3.1 Benefits of Food Fortification

 Since the nutrients are added to staple foods that are widely consumed, this is an

excellent method to improve the health of a large section of the population, all at once.

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  Fortification is a safe method of improving nutrition among people. The addition of

micronutrients to food does not pose a health risk to people. The quantity added is so

small and so well regulated as per prescribed standards that likelihood of an overdose of

nutrients is unlikely.

 It does not require any changes in food habits and patterns of people. It is a socio-

culturally acceptable way to deliver nutrients to people.

 It does not alter the characteristics of the food (the taste, the feel, the look).

 It can be implemented quickly as well as show results in improvement of health in a

relatively short period of time.

 This method is cost-effective especially if advantage is taken of the existing technology

and delivery platforms (Agrahar-Murugkar et al., 2018).

3.2 Limitations of Food Fortification

Although food fortification has its advantages, it is not without its drawbacks and complexities.

Fortification is insufficient in addressing micronutrient deficiencies when a large part among the

targeted demographics lacks access to foods which are fortified due to poverty or location, when

deficiencies are severe, or when infections increase the body’s need for micronutrients.

Furthermore, safety, technology, and cost-related factors can limit the effectiveness of food

fortification interventions. Therefore, successful planning for such programs necessitates not

only evaluating their potential impact on the population’s nutrition but also assessing their

feasibility in specific circumstances (Thakur et al., 2023).

Additionally, appropriate legislation is essential to oversee these interventions. Overloading the

body with excessive amounts of vitamins and minerals can carry many dangers and lead to

adverse health consequences. Food fortification with various micronutrients can potentially lead

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to unwanted interactions with individuals using prescription medications. This fortification may

cause instances of reduced absorption, treatment ineffectiveness, and an elevated risk of

mortality. The effective regulation and consistent monitoring of fortification processes to

maintain correct nutrient levels can be a challenge (Keata et al., 2019).

CHAPTER FOUR

4.0 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

The benefits of food fortification positively impact the entire life cycle of mankind. Thus, food

fortification may be one of the most effective ways to overcome malnutrition and various

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diseases, especially in children and pregnant women and their children, preventing the birth of

intellectually impaired children with malformations or deficiencies.

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