Effect of Storage Temperature on Sensory and Physicochemical Properties of Wheat Flour Fortified with Elevated Levels of Vitamin A in Combination with Three Types of Iron

Many persons worldwide are deficient in micronutrients, two of the most common being vitamin A and iron. Fortification of staple food is a commonly used and effective method of boosting micronutrient intake. Wheat flour is widely used around the world and makes a good vehicle for fortification, but there is a lack of studies on the storage stability of fortified wheat flour. In this study, we fortified wheat flour with elevated levels of vitamin A and three sources of iron and stored it for up to 16 weeks at refrigerated or room temperature or elevated temperature. The rate of disappearance of vitamin A was monitored by high pressure liquid chromatography, and the rate of disappearance was fotmd to be directly proportional to the duration of storage and storage temperature. Higher temperatures contributed to greater loss of vitamin A. Iron, regardless of source, did not play a major role in contributing to the rate of vitamin A loss. Flour functionality was assessed by baking loaves of bread from the stored flour and assessing physical properties as well as subjecting the loaves to an expert sensory panel. Functionality also changed with time and temperature of storage, but sensory analysis found that these changes were not detrimental to the quality of bread baked from the stored flours. Trained sensory panelists found that breads baked from flours fortified with ferrous sulfate and stored at the three temperatures for times up to eight weeks were markedly different from fortified flours using hydrogen reduced irons.