PREMIX - FORTIFIED FOOD, RICE AND RICE KERNELS
what is fortified premix?
A fortified premix is a combination of vital vitamins and mineral supplements added to food products to improve their nutritive quality. These premixes are desirable because they are used in food fortification and are developed as solutions for particular nutrient gaps. The premix usually contains additives such as iron, folic acid, vitamin A, vitamin D, B complex, and zinc. Through adding the fortified premixes to primary foods for instance rice or flour or milk, the producers can assist in enhancing consumers’ health by providing them with the just required nutrients.
key points about fortified premixes
PURPOSE: Convey nutrients to people who lack certain nutrients by supplementing staple foods with vitamins and minerals.
Benefits:
- Enhances human health by lowering the tendency to develop numerous diseases resulting from nutrient insufficiency.
- One of the simplest and inexpensive methods of improving nutrition.
- Effectively supplements specific nutrients to normal foods that people consume in their daily diets.
Composition
CVR Labs customizes premixes based on the specific food product they are intended for. These premixes may typically include, vitamins (including A, B, and D), minerals (including iron and zinc), and sometimes other micronutrients.
Example
Developers create some premixes for specific foods, including flour, rice, oil, and milk fortification premixes, to replace nutrients lost during milling or production.
Fortified Premixes: A Targeted Approach for Staple Foods
Manufacturers create protected premixes as highly concentrated mixtures of basic vitamins and minerals to add to food products, meeting the need for respective micronutrients. Here’s a closer look at the different premixes used for common staples, summarized in the table below:
| FOOD PRODUCT | PURPOSE | BENEFITS | EXAMPLE MICRONUTRIENTS |
|---|---|---|---|
RICE | Fill up the gaps in a staple food | This way public health is enhanced by relief from deficiencies such as Iron Deficiency Anemia, Vitamin A Deficiency (night blindness) | Iron (ferric pyrophosphate, sodium iron EDTA), Vitamin A, Vitamin D |
OIL | Nutrient value is enhanced by fat-soluble vitamins | Public health is enhanced by reduction of vitamin deficiencies such as vitamin A night blindness, and vitamin D; this affects bone health | Vitamin A, Vitamin D |
FLOUR | Replacement of vitamins & minerals that are reduced during milling | Fights anemia, birth defects & other diseases, general body health | Iron in the form of ferrous fumarate or ferrous sulfate, Folate, B complex vitamins including thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, and B12. |
MILK | Increases the nutrition intake | This is by enhancing the fight against deficiency diseases such as night blindness due to vitamin A deficiency and bone-related diseases as a result of vitamin D deficiency with the addition of calcium | Vitamin A and Vitamin D |
key points
- Every singular premix produced is designed to blend well with this food product and naturally complement any nutrient lack that the specific food might have.
- It is normally added at the manufacturing stage to integrate the premixes into the food product uniformly to distribute the nutrients evenly.
- Supplementation with premixes is a cost-effective and manageable method of enhancing the quality of staple foods for human consumption and eradicating micronutrient malnutrition.
how premixes are prepared?
1. Formulation:
Needs Assessment
The first component involves establishing which nutrients are lacking in the target population for which supplementation is desired. This may range from the work of nutritionists and food scientist especially where food production is concerned.
Ingredient Selection
Based on the identified deficiencies, we select specific vitamins, minerals, and other micronutrients to incorporate into the premix. We then determine the concentration (potency) of each ingredient, considering the recommended daily intake (RDI).
Carrier Selection
A carrier material is selected to serve as the base for the discussed premix. This carrier needs to be compatible with the target food product and should:
- Have the capability to adsorb and distribute the micronutrients evenly.
- Be relatively stable during the period of processing and storage.
- Not affect the general taste, texture, and colour of the final food product to a larger extent. Some of the common carrier materials are Starches, flour, and dried milk solids.
Blending Ratios
Each vitamin, mineral, and carrier has a measured portion, and the amounts included in the batch are recorded on a batch control sheet. This makes it possible to achieve uniform nutrient content of the premix in the different batches.
2. Processing:
Milling and Sieving
One of the pre-production activities of some raw materials especially vitamins and minerals, may subject them to grinding or milling to obtain a homogenous powder for blending purposes. Sieving may also be applied to segregate all the impurities and large particles from the food sample.
Blending
All the premix ingredients will be weighed and mixed using specific mixers that allow for adequate mixing of the ingredients. This ensures that each of the components in the premix is distributed evenly all over the premix.
Additional Processing Steps
Depending on the specific premix and its usage, there may be other, additional steps in the process. Depending on the formulation of the specific premix, there are further steps in the processing. These could include:
Granulation
The premix powder is then ground into small granule in order to facilitate easy flow and ease of handling.
Encapsulation
Some of the micronutrients contain a special coating to protect them from react with the other ingredients and increase their shelf life.
3. Quality Control:
Sampling and Testing
For each batch of premix, we analyze samples and scrutinize the results to ensure they match the formulated ratios. This testing involves determining the vitamin, mineral, and other micronutrient composition of the premix to confirm they fall within established acceptable ranges.
Documentation
Records are well kept for each batch of premix, this includes the raw materials used including the amounts used, the processing steps, and any results of quality control tests that were done.
Safety and Regulations
To ensure the safety and efficacy of fortified premixes, manufacturers prepare them following strict quality measures. These measures adhere to national and international food safety standards. Additionally, government regulations influence manufacturer guidelines by specifying the types and amounts of nutrients allowed in various foods.
Testing Fortified Premixes: Guaranteeing Quality and Effectiveness
One of the major applications of fortified premixes is to supplement the value of food products with various necessary vitamins and minerals. However, to guarantee that fortified foods are safe, equally effective, and of high quality, testing of these premixes cannot be overstressed. Here’s a detailed breakdown of the testing procedures involved:
Objectives of Premix Testing:
Verify Nutrient Content
Analysis further validates that the premix has the right proportions of vitamins, minerals, and other micronutrients as provided. This helps in ensuring a steady delivery of the nutrient content as required to avoid instances of deficiencies.
Monitor Stability
Some vitamins and minerals are quite unstable and easily oxidized and get spoiled during storage and transportation. It assists in monitoring their stability during the shelf life to ensure that the fortified food remains health-beneficial.
Ensure Regulatory Compliance
As mentioned earlier, many countries around the world have legalized and regulate food fortification. This ensures that different premixes contain the appropriate levels of specific fortificants to comply with these regulations.
Detect Contaminants
However, contamination can be present in rare situations during the production process. Test also to check for any forms of contamination that could be risky to the health such as certain bacteria.
Maintain Quality Assurance
Testing is done frequently as this reduces the chances of having to switch between different stages of production due to low quality. It is not only beneficial for consumers but also helpful to establish confidence with regard to fortified food programs.
Types of Premix Tests at cvr labs
This core set of analytical tests directly quantifies the levels of vitamins, minerals, and other trace elements in the premix. The specific tests depend on the fortificants used but typically include:
Vitamin Analysis
There are other methods like High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) which are used to quantify the amount of vitamins such as A, B vitamins, D, and so on.
Mineral Analysis
Concentrations of minerals like iron, zinc, etc are detected using Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS).
Microbiological Testing:
This testing helps to verify the non-presence of dangerous bacteria such as E. coli or Salmonella which may infest the premix and cause health complications to users.
Physical and Chemical Testing:
This testing helps to verify the non-presence of dangerous bacteria such as E. coli or Salmonella which may infest the premix and cause health complications to users.
Moisture Content
High humidity affects the stability of the premix by making it moist, thus creating a good environment for microbial growth.
Grain Size (for encapsulated premixes)
Uniform size distribution helps in an even distribution of the grains for better interaction with nutrients and efficient mixing with the food products.
Presence of Contaminants
Such as screening and identification of such unwanted compounds as heavy metals or pesticides.
Sensory Evaluation
This assessment may be done with a view of checking any effect that the premix may have on the fortified food product in terms of taste, texture or smell.
Testing Frequency:
Several factors influence the general frequency of premix testing, including the premix type, relevant industry regulations, and the manufacturer’s established procedures. However, testing is typically performed at the following times:
At regular intervals throughout production: This really helps in quality control since the products are in large quantities.
On every batch of premix produced: This ensures that every batch that has been produced contains the correct quality that was desired.
After any changes occur in the premix formulation or production process: This confirms the efficiency and the innocuous of the premix in the subsequent batches as well.
Importance of Accredited Laboratories
The testing should be done by standard recognized food testing laboratories such as CVR Labs, which is NABL and FSSAI accredited in Chennai, to avoid inaccurate results. It also ensures that the lab is practicing the international best practices in carrying out the tests and the methods used are credible. This in turn contributes to the safety quality and efficacy of fortified foods thus improving the health of the people through provision of improved sources of nutrition supplements.
The testing of fortified premixes also plays a significant role in the quality assurance of fortified foods since it relates to the quality, safety, and efficacy of the foods. Thus, by means of efficient testing, manufacturers will be able to provide populace with effective nutritional additions, free from hazardous side effects, thereby enhancing the population’s quality of life. For expert premix testing and formulation, CONTACT CVR Labs.