388 Micronutrient enrichment of wheat flour and instant corn masa flour in Mexico.

Peter Ranum. SUSTAIN, 1400 16th Street, N.W., Box 25, Washington DC 20036.

Recognizing the need for additional micronutrients in the diets of specific groups in the population of Mexico, an agreement was reached by representatives of the Government of Mexico and the cereal processing industry in Mexico to explore the addition of certain micronutrients to wheat flour and instant corn masa flour. The recommended standards for wheat flour were 4–8 ppm thiamin (as thiamin mononitrate), 2.4–5.0 ppm riboflavin, 28–45 ppm niacin (as niacinamide), 1.6–3.2 ppm folic acid, 24–39.8 ppm iron (as reduced iron) and 16–26 zinc (as zinc oxide). The same standards would apply to instant corn masa flour except that the folic acid would be 0.4–0.8 ppm. This paper will review the current regulatory status and implementation of these recommendations. Research on the effect of this enrichment on the shelf- life, color and other quality factors of instant corn masa flour and tortillas will also be discussed.