Assessment of wheat flour fortification with iron and folic acid in flour factories of Zanjan province, Iran, 2016

Background: Fortification has an important role in the correction of dietary micronutrients deficiencies. The aim of the present study was to assess the fortification of wheat flour with iron and folic acid in Zanjan province. Methods: Totally, 479 samples were obtained from active flour-producing factories in Zanjan (5 factories) in 2016. The rate of fortification in bakery products was measured with the spot test and UV spectrophotometric method and was compared with the standard values of Iran Food and Drug Administration (IFDA). Results: Qualitative assessment of the iron content in Tafton/Lavash and Barbari flours revealed that the fortification program was successful in all the cases (100%) according to the standard values of the IFDA. Quantitative evaluations indicated that 72.68% and 68.46% of samples from Tafton/Lavash and Barbari flours, respectively, had iron concentrations in standard ranges (40-85ppm). The average concentrations of iron in Tafton/Lavash and Barbari flours were 62 and 57.91 ppm, respectively. According to the results, the average Iranian would receive about 7.5 mg/d of iron from the fortified wheat flour. Conclusions: The results suggest that fortification of wheat flour with premix is in an acceptable condition in Zanjan province.