Multiple micronutrient deficiencies are rampant in India, and continue to be significant public health problems, which adversely impact the health and productivity of all the population groups. More than 57% of children suffer from vitamin A deficiency, which may be symptomatic or present at the sub-clinical level. In addition, a high proportion of pregnant women and their new-borns suffer from Vitamin D deficiency.
Vitamin D is also considered to play an important role in decreasing the risk of many chronic illnesses, including common cancers, autoimmune diseases, infectious diseases, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Thus public health problems warrant public health intervention. As per Household Consumer Expenditure (HCE) Survey in India, NSSO report 2011, consumption of oil is reasonably high, about 20-30g / person / day and is consumed by all population groups. Since vitamin A and D are fat-soluble vitamins, fortification of edible oils and fats with vitamin A and D is a good strategy to address micronutrient malnutrition and fortified oil is known to provide 25%-30% of the recommended dietary allowances for vitamins A&D.
Standards
Multiple micronutrient deficiencies are rampant in India, and continue to be significant public health problems, which adversely impact the health and productivity of all the population groups. More than 57% of children suffer from vitamin A deficiency, which may be symptomatic or present at the sub-clinical level. In addition, a high proportion of pregnant women and their newborns suffer Vitamin D deficiency. vitamin D is also considered to play an important role in decreasing the risk of many chronic illnesses, including common cancers, autoimmune diseases, infectious diseases, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Thus public health problems warrant public health intervention. As per Household Consumer Expenditure (HCE) Survey in India, NSSO report 2011, consumption of oil is reasonably high, about 20-30g / person / day and is consumed by all population
groups. Since vitamin A and D are fat-soluble vitamins, fortification of edible oils and fats with vitamin A and D is a good strategy to address micronutrient malnutrition and fortified oil is known to provide 25%-30% of the recommended dietary allowances for vitamins A&D. Oil fortification technology is simple and the equipment and premixes for fortification are readily available, within India. Fortification of edible oil usually takes place just before packaging of oil. Both the vitamin pre-mix and the processed oil are added to a churn to ensure uniform blending. The concept, technology and quality control procedures for oil fortification are well established for sustained production across the country. Fortification of oil is relatively inexpensive and affordable.
Technology
The technology of fortification is simple and easily achievable by producers.3 As these are fat-soluble vitamins, they permit easy and cost-effective addition without the need for elaborate equipment and can be uniformly distributed in oil. Dosing technology for adding anti-oxidants and other micro ingredients to oil is routine. While for many oils, a temperature of 40-50 ℃ is required to assure uniform mixing, the threshold to ensure uniform liquid state for oils like soybean oil is less than about 25 ℃. Producers generally report minimal adjustments to add vitamin A, D, E. Since other additives are often used, personnel and technology are already in place. The additional cost due to fortification is 7 paise per litre of oil with Vitamin A and D.