title: Vitamin A stability in salt triple fortified with iodine, iron, and vitamin A.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Dietary micronutrient deficiencies, which lead to diseases such as iodine deficiency disorders, iron-deficiency anemia, and vitamin A deficiency, are serious public health problems in the developing world. Fortifying salt with iodine, iron, and vitamin A is an attractive approach to simultaneously reduce the deficiencies of these three micronutrients in the diet.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To explore the technical feasibility of producing triple-fortified salt fortified with iodine, iron, and vitamin A that would be stable under the climatic conditions of developing countries (i.e., high temperature and high humidity).
  
  
  METHODS
  Triple-fortified salt was obtained by granulation and encapsulation of commercially produced vitamin A products, iodine, and iron compounds. Vitamin A retention was determined in the presence of five iron and two iodine compounds, in different combinations, under three different storage conditions. The influence of commercial stabilization techniques for the vitamin A palmitate source used (spray-dried or dissolved in oil), and the type of binder used for granulation on vitamin A retention in triple-fortified salt was studied. The influence of temperature, humidity, and chemical interactions on vitamin A stability in triple-fortified salt was also investigated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The most stable formulation retained 77.73% of vitamin A after 2 months of storage at 40 degrees C, 60% relative humidity, and 95% under ambient conditions.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results indicate that the production of a stable triple-fortified salt is technically feasible.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Ildiko
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Raileanu
authors.forename: Levente L
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Diosady
mesh_terms: D001682:Biological Availability; D002980:Climate; D004355:Drug Stability; D004356:Drug Storage; D005079:Excipients; D005527:Food, Fortified / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D007455:Iodine / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry; D019266:Iron, Dietary / Q000032:analysis; D017673:Sodium Chloride, Dietary; D013696:Temperature; D013997:Time Factors; D014801:Vitamin A / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014802:Vitamin A Deficiency / Q000188:drug therapy*
chemical_list: D005079:Excipients; D019266:Iron, Dietary; D017673:Sodium Chloride, Dietary; C034024:iodized salt; D014801:Vitamin A; D007455:Iodine