retinol-palmitate and ferrous-sulfate

Wheat flour is increasingly being fortified worldwide with vitamin A and iron. Research on high levels of fortification is limited; therefore, in this study, wheat flour was made under controlled conditions fortified with vitamin A at 30 000 or 70 000 retinol equivalents (RE) kg⁻¹ and three types of iron source at 66 mg kg⁻¹.. Milling produced a uniform distribution of fortificants with no significant separation during packaging or transportation. Chemical and physical analyses demonstrated that the dual fortified flours had acceptable physicochemical properties of mixing tolerance, pasting curves, damaged starch and falling numbers. The level of vitamin A fortification compensated for initial loss caused during wheat processing. Overall, white breads baked from seven treatments of fortified flour had only 22% (eight out of 36) of the sensory attributes as being significantly different. However, the type of iron source may play a key role in modulating the sensory attributes of bread baked from the dual fortified flour with vitamin A and iron.. The findings suggest that dual fortified flour with high or even lower levels of vitamin A and iron could be considered for food fortification programmes to reduce the prevalence of micronutrient undernutrition of vitamin A and iron in developing countries.

Topics: Bread; Chemical Phenomena; Cooking; Diterpenes; Ferrous Compounds; Flour; Food Storage; Food, Fortified; Humans; Iron; Iron, Dietary; Kansas; Odorants; Oxidation-Reduction; Particle Size; Retinyl Esters; Sensation; Starch; Taste; Transportation; Vitamin A

To investigate the significance of the lowered plasma vitamin A during the last few weeks of pregnancy, the capacity of erythrocyte lysates to destroy vitamin A in vitro and the alteration in ammonium nitrogen to creatinine ratio (Am N/Cr) in random urine samples was followed up at different gestational ages in women from low income groups. One group received no supplementation and the other received supplements of 1800 retinol equivalents (RE) and at most points the number of observations were not less than 12. In the unsupplemented women there was a significant increase in the capacity of erythrocytes to destroy vitamin A in vitro, which reflects an increased oxidative stress as compared to the supplemented group. While differences in mean Am N/Cr did not follow any consistent pattern, there was a strong association between lowered plasma vitamin A (< 35 micrograms/dl) and increased Am N/Cr ratio (> 0.5). This was true only when combined data of both groups were considered till 26 weeks of gestation and not beyond. As expected in supplemented women there was no significant fall in the plasma vitamin A during term. These data reveal that the lowered plasma vitamin A levels are suggestive of greater risk of hypovitaminosis A during pregnancy as indicated by the oxidative stress in erythrocytes.

Topics: Chi-Square Distribution; Colorimetry; Creatinine; Diterpenes; Erythrocytes; Female; Ferrous Compounds; Follow-Up Studies; Hemolysis; Humans; Pregnancy; Quaternary Ammonium Compounds; Retinyl Esters; Sensitivity and Specificity; Time Factors; Vitamin A

Vitamin A (retinol) and some of its analogs exhibited varying degrees of inhibition on induced iron and ascorbic acid lipid peroxidation of rat brain mitochondria. Malonyldialdehyde production was used as an index of the extent of in vitro lipid peroxidation. The fat-soluble vitamins retinol, retinol acetate, retinoic acid, retinol palmitate, and retinal at concentrations between 0.1 and 10.0 mmol/L inhibited brain lipid peroxidation. Retinol and retinol acetate were the most effective inhibitors. It is concluded from this study that retinol and its analogs can be considered as potential antioxidant factors, more potent than some of the well-known antioxidants such as alpha-tocopherol and butylated hydroxytoluene.

Topics: Animals; Ascorbic Acid; Brain; Diterpenes; Ferrous Compounds; Free Radicals; Lipid Peroxidation; Male; Malondialdehyde; Mitochondria; Rats; Rats, Inbred Strains; Retinaldehyde; Retinyl Esters; Tretinoin; Vitamin A