Why Fortified Foods Lose Nutrients Before They Reach the Shelf, and How to Stop It

There are 3 main points in the fortification process where micronutrient losses will occur. These are during processing, packaging and storage. The main cause of losses are heat, light, air and moisture. The most sensitive micronutrients are vitamin A, C, folic acid and thiamine. Mineral salts are more stable but can cause losses to other nutrients in the same formulation. Choosing the correct form of ingredient and using the correct barrier packaging will help reduce losses. Usually you would discuss with your Food Fortification Chemicals Manufacturer prior to running any trials.

Heat is the first thing that hurts

Vitamins don’t like cooking processes. Thiamine will degrade when heated and the higher the pH the faster it will degrade. Vitamin C will oxidise quickly and if there are trace amounts of iron or copper present this will speed things up. Folic acid can be cooked for a short time but not a long time.

Extrusion can be surprising. Whilst the temperatures seem high the product is only heated for a very short period of time so often retention is better than a slow oven or long pasteurisation time. Often the time the product spends at temperature will be more important than the highest temperature reached. However, no two products will act the same way and the best thing to do is trial in your own plant.

Overage is the usual solution. This means adding more than what is claimed on the label to account for the degradation. If you do this without knowing how much you will be paying a lot of money. Always ask your food fortification chemicals manufacturer in India for stability data.

Pick the iron to suit the product

Iron can cause a few problems in the formulation. Ferrous sulphate is highly soluble and easily absorbed but has a high reactivity. It can cause an increase in rancidity in fat containing products and can cause a metallic taste and colour change in some matrices. Ferrous fumarate has lower solubility and is much less reactive in the final product. This means it can be seen in many cereals and flours.

I would never recommend choosing one over the other based on cost. If the product contains fats, vitamin C or light colouring I would recommend trying the fumarate. If it is a dry staple with a short shelf life then sulphate may be perfectly acceptable.

Here is a rough guide to where each nutrient is vulnerable.

A clear bottle can undo a good premix

Light is the quiet culprit. Riboflavin in milk sold in clear containers is the textbook case, and vitamin A behaves much the same way. Moisture is the other half. Powdered premixes pull in humidity, cake up, and degrade faster once they do.

Barrier choice should follow the nutrient list, not the design brief.

Storage does its damage slowly

Time and temperature work together. As a rough rule, reaction rates about double with every 10°C rise, though the real figure shifts from compound to compound. Picture an unventilated godown in May, pallets stacked against a hot wall. Six months later the label says one thing and the lab says another.

Run accelerated shelf-life studies at 40°C and 75 percent relative humidity, the standard stress condition, and keep real-time samples running alongside. Accelerated data predicts. It doesn't replace the real thing.

What to ask a supplier before the first order

The stability of ingredients will be influenced by their particle size, moisture, free acidity and heavy metals. Any shortlisted Food Fortification Chemicals Manufacturer in India should provide a batch analysis certificate. Ensure they provide the moisture and particle size data (this is often missing from brochures).

Choosing a Food Fortification Chemicals Supplier in India rather than a manufacturer may mean you don’t get much detail. A manufacturer will be able to explain why this batch is different to the last. If you are ordering large quantities you should also ask a Food Fortification Chemicals Bulk Supplier how it will be packed. Hygroscopic salts will absorb moisture on the dock if they are not lined.

Regulations will also play a role. The FSSAI have regulations regarding fortification of staple foods such as wheat flour, rice, edible oils, milk and salt. This means that your claim must stand up throughout the shelf life of your product.

Where Veeransh Chemicals fits in

Veeransh Chemicals, an ISO certified Food Fortification Chemicals Manufacturer in Vapi, Gujarat, is a Food Fortification Chemicals Exporter in India selling to customers in over 20 countries. Our portfolio includes Ferrous Fumarate, Ferrous Sulphate, Potassium Chloride (Food Grade) and other specialty micronutrients.

Looking to reformulate your fortified product, scale up your formulation or simply become tired of variable batches? Get in touch with us to tell us about your product’s requirements such as matrix, temperature and desired shelf life. If you’d like your Food Fortification Chemicals Manufacturer in India to have a look at your process data before getting a quote, please email us at sales@veeranshchemicals.com. For domestic queries please call us on +91 7016855746, for export queries +91 93275 95918. Or alternatively complete our enquiry form at veeranshchemicals.com.