Nutrients Additive

Nutrients Additive
The need for a balanced and ample nutrient intake by the human body is well known. Although nutrients are available in foods, losses of fractional amounts of some of them through processing, and increasing frequencies of improper dieting, have led to the practice of adding minimum daily requirements nutrients to popular foods, such as breakfast cereals, baked goods, pasta products, and low calorie breakfast drinks. Nutrients additives include mainly vitamins, proteins, and minerals.

Vitamin D is an exceptional example of the value of the food additive concept. The major source of vitamin D for human lies in the existence of a precursor compound lying just under the skin that converts to the vitamin form when we are exposed to the radiant energy of the sun. However, in many cases, exposure to the sun is sporadic and insufficient, especially in areas where there is normally insufficient sunshine or in cases where outdoor activities are of sufficient duration. Thus, vitamin D is added to nearly all commercial milk in a ration of 400 U.S.P units per qt (0.95).

The additive of protein concentrate to components of diet of inhabitants of underdeveloped countries has been used successfully to remedy the high incidence of protein malnutrition. It should be noted that soybean is incomplete and requires the addition of some amino acids in which it is deficient. Children, especially, succumb in large numbers to the disease, kwashiorkor that results from insufficient protein intake.

Among minerals, iron has received major attention as a food additive, mainly because of its role in preventing certain anemias.
Nutrients Additive