Iron as food additive

Iron has many different roles in the body. About 65 to 80 percent of the body’s iron is in the blood in the form of hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is a protein in red blood cells that transports oxygen to tissues in the body. Myoglobin, the compound that carries oxygen to the muscle cells, also requires iron.

Iron deficiency is the most common nutritional deficiency disorder in the world, affecting more than two billion people, mostly infants, children and women of childbearing age. In general, iron deficiency symptoms are attributed due to an insufficient supply of iron to the tissues, and probably not to lowered hemoglobin level.

Fortification of foods with iron has been a commonly used strategy to combat iron deficiency throughout the world and it is the most sustainable, convenient, and cost-effective tool for its management.

A number of foods have been effectively fortified with iron, including salt, sugar, curry powder, and fish sauce. Milk, dried milk, and various milk-derived foods have been fortified with iron in South America. Iron-fortified baby food is a great tool to effectively control iron deficiency anemia.

Cereal flours (wheat and maize) are currently the most common vehicles for iron fortification to reach the general population.
Iron as food additive