A microencapsulation-based technology platform for effective delivery of multiple micronutrients for food fortification has been developed. The technology, consisting of extrusion agglomeration followed by encapsulation through surface coating, has been successfully tested on three size scales in typical staple foods: as a surface treatment on salt and sugar, on 20-100µm scale; in salt on a 300-1200 μm scale; and on reconstituted rice on the 5-10 mm scale. The process results in effective delivery systems for one or more active ingredients with organoleptic properties that are unnoticeable to the average consumer.
Particularly, salt double fortified with iodine and iron using the microencapsulated ferrous fumarate premix made by the extrusion-based agglomeration process had acceptable sensory properties and stability when stored at 40oC and 60% relative humidity (RH) for up to a year. In these tests >85% of iodine and >90% of ferrous iron were retained.
Reconstituted Ultra Rice® grains made by extrusion stabilized by internal gelation has resulted in improved grain integrity and a much simplified process, compared to the original, patented surface crosslinking technique. The most effective internal gelation system is composed of alginate, calcium sulphate (CaSO4), and sodium tripolyphosphate (STPP) at a best ratio of 3%:3%:0.6% (w/w).
It is feasible to incorporate folic acid into the existing fortification programs using the technology platform developed in this study. The results indicate that the potential interactions of folic acid with other added micronutrients or with the food vehicles could be prevented by incorporating folic acid as a premix made by the extrusion-based technology. Virtually no folic acid was lost after 9 months storage at 40oC and 60% RH when the folic acid premix was added into salt or sugar samples.
The technical feasibility of the microencapsulation-based technology platform has been successfully demonstrated for micronutrient delivery in food vehicles of different size ranges, resulting in fortified staple foods with desired physical, chemical, nutritional, and organoleptic properties. The technology should be adaptable to formulating customized delivery systems of active ingredients for broader applications, and promises to bring immediate benefits in combatting micronutrient deficiencies, that will have far reaching effects in health and social development.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:TORONTO/oai:tspace.library.utoronto.ca:1807/26536 |
| Date | 30 March 2011 |
| Creators | Li, Yao Olive |
| Contributors | Diosady, Levente L. |
| Source Sets | University of Toronto |
| Language | en_ca |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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