Fortification of corn flour-derived products

Abstract

Fortification of maize (corn) flour is common due to its wide availability. Corn flour-derived products can be fortified with any micronutrient or vitamin. The majority of studies have been performed with iron and folic acid fortification. Processing methods to reduce the phytate content of cereals seem to improve the efficiency of fortification more so than the use of a particular cereal grain. The complete degradation of phytic acid in maize increases iron absorption by up to 10 times. The way in which meals are prepared and the choice of appropriate combinations of foods for target groups are fundamental aspects of food fortification. Human studies have shown excellent results with corn flour fortified by elemental iron. Reports on reductions in neural tube defects prevalence after folic acid fortification of corn vary from 16 to 78 %.