Full Text Available

Note: Clicking the button above will open the full text document at the original institutional repository in a new window.

Vitamin A content and bio-availability of South African maize meal (as purchased and consumed)

Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2011.

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Other Authors: Schonfeldt, H.C. (Hettie Carina)
Format: Thesis
Published: University of Pretoria 2013
Subjects:
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1867613480398356480
access_status_str Open Access
author2 Schonfeldt, H.C. (Hettie Carina)
author_browse Schonfeldt, H.C. (Hettie Carina)
author_facet Schonfeldt, H.C. (Hettie Carina)
collection Thesis
dc_rights_str_mv © 2011, University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria.
description Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2011.
format Thesis
id oai:repository.up.ac.za:2263/28134
institution University of Pretoria (South Africa)
last_indexed 2026-06-10T12:36:49.219Z
license_str Other — see source repository
provenance_str_mv Harvested via OAI-PMH from UPSpace — University of Pretoria Institutional Repository
publishDate 2013
publishDateRange 2013
publishDateSort 2013
publisher University of Pretoria
publisherStr University of Pretoria
record_format dspace
source_str UPSpace — University of Pretoria Institutional Repository
spelling oai:repository.up.ac.za:2263/28134 Vitamin A content and bio-availability of South African maize meal (as purchased and consumed) Schonfeldt, H.C. (Hettie Carina) beulah.pretorius@gmail.com Pretorius, Beulah Maize meal Porridge Vitamin a fortification Retention Staple foods Bioavailability UCTD Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2011. In 2003 the Department of Health of South Africa embarked on a mandatory fortification programme of maize meal as part of the Integrated Nutrition Program (INP) to alleviate malnutrition. The aim of this study was two-fold: firstly, to determine the vitamin A content of South African fortified white maize meal as purchased and the maize porridge as traditionally prepared from it as consumed and secondly, to determine the relative efficacy of the daily consumption of maize meal in sustaining or improving vitamin A status. Maize meal samples for analysis were purchased from various supermarkets and small retail outlets. A High Performance Liquid Chromatograph-Diode Array Detector system with a Reverse Phase C-18 column and isocratic elution was used for separation and quantification of vitamin A. The highest mean vitamin A concentration measured in the maize meal was 261 μgRE/100g and the lowest mean vitamin A concentration was <19 μgRE/100g. Pertaining to the regulations the final minimum level of vitamin A in fortified maize meal must not be less than 187.7 μgRE/100g. The average retention of vitamin A in maize porridge as the difference in vitamin A concentration measured between raw maize meal and cooked porridge was calculated at 39.8%. One of the considerations in a fortification program is the availability of certain micronutrients in the fortified foods, with the focus in this project on vitamin A. An animal model, namely chickens, closely relating the metabolism of vitamin A in humans was used. Chickens are very susceptible to vitamin A deficiencies with similar symptoms. Growth and vitamin A status was evaluated by the weight, feed conversion and liver retinol stores of chickens on five different maize based diets over a six week period. No significant difference in vitamin A levels in the livers of birds on diets with fortified white maize meal, compared to the normal poultry diet consisting of yellow maize meal with added vitamin A was found. It can thus be concluded that the fortificant in the white maize meal is as bioavailable as the vitamin A in the premix used in poultry nutrition. The results of this study show that the vitamin A added as fortificant is absorbed and available to the body. Therefore, fortification of commonly eaten staple foods in the country can significantly improve the vitamin A intake of the population and will improve the overall micronutrient density of their diets. Fortification should be set at levels to include losses incurred through packaging and during transportation, shelf losses and preparation losses. It is also important that the vitamin A content of the product as purchased and consumed must be regularly monitored and regulated by government. Valid and reliable evaluation data are needed to evaluate a program’s success, and to make timeous adjustments for optimal efficiency. Animal and Wildlife Sciences unrestricted 2013-09-07T12:56:03Z 2011-09-22 2013-09-07T12:56:03Z 2011-09-09 2011-09-22 2011-09-22 Thesis Pretorius, B 2011, Vitamin A content and bio-availability of South African maize meal (as purchased and consumed), PhD theses, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, viewed yymmdd < http://hdl.handle.net/2263/28134 > D11/9/144/gm http://hdl.handle.net/2263/28134 http://upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-09222011-123641/ © 2011, University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. application/pdf application/pdf application/pdf application/pdf application/pdf application/pdf application/pdf application/pdf University of Pretoria
spellingShingle Maize meal
Porridge
Vitamin a fortification
Retention
Staple foods
Bioavailability
UCTD
Vitamin A content and bio-availability of South African maize meal (as purchased and consumed)
title Vitamin A content and bio-availability of South African maize meal (as purchased and consumed)
title_full Vitamin A content and bio-availability of South African maize meal (as purchased and consumed)
title_fullStr Vitamin A content and bio-availability of South African maize meal (as purchased and consumed)
title_full_unstemmed Vitamin A content and bio-availability of South African maize meal (as purchased and consumed)
title_short Vitamin A content and bio-availability of South African maize meal (as purchased and consumed)
title_sort vitamin a content and bio availability of south african maize meal as purchased and consumed
topic Maize meal
Porridge
Vitamin a fortification
Retention
Staple foods
Bioavailability
UCTD
url http://hdl.handle.net/2263/28134
http://upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-09222011-123641/