ON FOOD fORTI - DOH Central Library - Department of Health

28
A Report on Food Fortification
IODINE AND IRON FORTIFIED FISH SAUCE
AND OTHER CONDIMENTS
Mr. HECTOR MAGLALANG
Fortification Consultant, Nutrition 'Service-Department of Health
Condiments are food substances
added to basic foodstuff to enhance the
flavor of food. It is also called flavoring
agents, seasonings, or spices. Condiments
are widely consumed food products in
the Philippines. Studies by the University
of the Philippines have cited salt and
monosodium glutamate (MSG) as some
of the most fortifiable foods but for this
discussion, I would like to concentrate
on the fortification of fish sauce, salt and
soy saucewithbothiron and iodine. Other
condiments that can be considered are
ketchup and MSG.
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.First, the fortification of fish sauce.
This is a clean, lightbrownliquid prepared
by fermentation and extraction of marine
fish and used as a flavoring or salt
substitute. This is ideal for fortification
because the production of fish sauce is
concentrated in and around Malabon and
Navotas in Metro Manila, and this
concentration of production is one of the
requirements for a food product to be
considered for fortification.
Studies in iron fortification of soy
sauce were inititated in Thailand around
1974 because the Thais are also fond of
using fish sauce. From their experiments
they haveconcluded thatethelenediamine
tetraacctic acid sodium iron EDTA is the
most suitable fortificant for iron in fish
sauce than all the other iron sources,
because no precipitation was observed
in fish sauce. In other iron sources,
precipitation takes place aftertwoor more
hours but for the sodium iron EDTA no
precipitation was observed even for
mon!hs. After determining the most
suitable fortificant in terms of the
difference in the physical properties' of
the food, they tested it for taste using
a double blind technique. There was no
effect on the taste of variousfood products
where sodium iron EDTA fortified fish
sauce was used as the condiment.
On the bioavailability of iron, 7-8%
is absorbed in combination with other
foods On the average, which is usually