387 Iron fortification of corn masa flour.

R. F. HURRELL and L. DAVIDSSON (1), supported by SUSTAIN and in collaboration with E. Boy (2), L. Bravo (3), and N. Hammond (4). (1) Laboratory for Human Nutrition, Switzerland; (2) INCAP, Guatemala; (3) ITESM, Mexico; (4) SUSTAIN Project Advisor.

Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) is a highly prevalent public health problem throughout the developing world, particularly among infants, school-age children and women. The fortification of food is often regarded as the most cost-effective, long-term approach to reducing nutritional deficiencies such as IDA. This study’s purpose is to identify an iron compound that is highly available to the body and which does not adversely affect the flavor, texture or cost, of corn masa flour, a widely consumed staple food in Latin America. To measure the suitability of several iron compounds, manufacturing, sensory, and bioavailability studies were conducted. The manufacturing study included a short-term and long-term hexanal and pentane analysis. The sensory evaluation consisted of a triangle test with semi-trained Central American subjects and was conducted in two phases, at time zero and after a two-month storage period. The third study consisted of a stable isotope iron absorption analysis to measure bioavailability among healthy females living in Guatemala. Results from the three studies are as of yet unpublished, but preliminary findings are leading to the identification of the optimal iron source for fortification of corn masa flour, and with it, the means to improve nutrition among iron-deficient populations in the developing world.