It is great News that Govt. of India is mulling over making Fortification Mandatory!
FSSAI has drafted Specifications for few commodities like Rice, Oil, Milk, Flour and Salt. The Draft Notifications have just been released.
This opens up a plethora of opportunities for existing players as well as New Start-Up Food Enterprises to begin regional operations on pan India basis.
Technical Feasibility:
1. Flour - Atta & Maida:
It is easier to fortify Flour which requires simple blending of powdered form of multi micro-nutrient pre-mix (vitamins and minerals) as per Govt of India / FSSAI norms prior to packaging at the Roller Flour Mill.
2. Salt: Iodine Fortification of Salt had been made mandatory years back!
Iron Fortification had been added now in addition to Iodine. Few Brands of Double Fortified Salts have already entered the Indian Market commercially .
National Institute of Nutrition, Hyderabad is offering the relevant Technology for Double Fortification.
3. Edible Oil & Vanaspati: Oil soluble vitamins A & D can be added easily at the Oil Refinery itself prior to packaging.
4. Milk: Fortification of Milk with Vitamins A and D can be done easily at the respective Dairy prior to Packaging.
5. Rice: It would be a real challenge to fortify Rice!
FSSAI had proposed multi micro-nutrient fortification with Iron, Zinc, Vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, B12 and Folic Acid.
FSSAI had proposed multi micro-nutrient fortification with Iron, Zinc, Vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, B12 and Folic Acid.
Simple addition of dry pre-mix powders to Rice Grain would not serve the purpose. Traditionally the rice is washed prior to cooking in all Indian kitchens (both Household and Institutional).
Supply of measured quantity of nutrient pre-mix in Sachet with every Unit pack of rice is a possibility, though it may lead to excess usage in certain instances leading to 'hyper-vitaminosis' or scraping the entire sachet due to lack of awareness or knowledge of the Consumers.
Food Extrusion Technology offers the perfect solution with proven scales of economy.
A Pilot Project was commissioned successfully in 2 Districts of Odisha State by World Food Programme using single nutrient Fortification (Iron Fortification) as the objective to combat acute Anemia.
The Technology patented by PATH was used to make Iron Fortified (Rice like) Kernals (FRK) from broken rice by Extrusion Technology. The Fortified Kernals are blended with normal rice grains in the ratio of 1:100 to get the desired Iron content in food @ 50% RDA.
BUHLER, Switzerland also developed the Process for Rice Fortification and set up a Commercial Plant in China for manufacture of multi micro-nutrient fortified rice.
Multi micro-nutrient fortification would result in Rice Kernals which are slightly coloured (light golden yellow) due to vitamin A and B12.
When blended with normal rice grains the fortified kernals would still be identifiable by their colour.
Adequate Consumer education and simple pictorial depiction on each pack need to be made so that the coloured fortified grains are not picked up and discarded during cleaning of the grain by winnowing at the house-hold level.
The Process Technology makes use of a Single Screw Extruder (Cold Pasta Press) along with a Drier and Rice Die.
When blended with normal rice grains the fortified kernals would still be identifiable by their colour.
Adequate Consumer education and simple pictorial depiction on each pack need to be made so that the coloured fortified grains are not picked up and discarded during cleaning of the grain by winnowing at the house-hold level.
The Process Technology makes use of a Single Screw Extruder (Cold Pasta Press) along with a Drier and Rice Die.
There are several reputed Extruder Machinery suppliers in France, Italy, Germany, Singapore, UK and USA.
Several reputed suppliers of tailor made Vitamin Mineral pre-mix are present in India. DSM Nutrition, Hexagon Nutrition and Piramal Healthcare are few Companies who can supply pre-mixes.
Considering the huge quantity of non-basmati rice to be fortified, over 30 Extrusion Plants may be needed for India @ 1 Plant per each State for making fortified kernals.
The blending of Fortified Kernals with normal rice (raw rice as well as par-boiled rice) can be done in each Rice Mill by installing additional machinery like Paddle Mixer.
Several small Countries like Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Panama, Philippines and Papua New Guinea have made Rice Fortification mandatory.
India is now joining the Big League!
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| FRK at Extruder Die |
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| FRK (Left) and Blended Rice (Right) |
