BBM Magazine Issue-Sayı: 25 March/April - Mart/Nisan 2018

COVER STORY • KAPAK DOSYASI 32 BBM / MART-NİSAN 2018 • MARCH-APRIL 2018 and Africa, where populations have benefited from sup- port from the public sector, including the World Health Organization (WHO) and NGOs such as Nutrition Interna- tional (NI) [2]. In fact, there are now 87 countries worldwi- de where it is mandatory to fortify at least one industrially milled cereal grain, such as maize or wheat. Of these, 86 countries fortify wheat flour alone, or in combination with other grains, suggesting that there is significant oppor- tunity for the food industry and governments to address global malnutrition with this staple food product [3]. Flour fortification: a force to be reckoned with Flour – wheat and maize, primarily, but also local va- rieties depending on regional crops – is one of the most widely distributed and consumed staple food products. In fact, more than 600 million metric tons of wheat and maize flours are milled annually, and consumed as nood- les, breads, pasta, and other flour products worldwide [4]. Wheat and maize flour are easily fortified with a wide range of micronutrients, meaning that there is huge po- tential for flour products to substantially improve global public health [5]. Micronutrients can be added singly or as a premix to flour, and it is vital that the flour is well mixed so that the added nutrients are distributed uniformly throughout the product. This is achieved by adding the nutrients at a rate compatible with the flow of flour along a conveyor belt, using adjustable feeders, and can also be added when flours from different batches converge. To avoid separation of the nutrients from the grain, it is important to make sure that the particle size and weight of these micronutrients are the same, or similar, as that of the flour product. The proven success of staple food fortification can be owed to the fact it can be implemented without chan- ging the dietary patterns of a population. Nor does it require conscious engagement or compliance from in- dividuals – advances in technology mean that it is pos- sible to fortify products, like flour, without any impact on sensory characteristics, such as appearance, taste and texture. As a result, populations can continue to eat the way they have always eaten, which helps to not only tackle challenges in consumer attitudes, but is also very important in developing countries or regions where there is little freedom of choice over the food products available. But does flour fortification really work? The proof is in the pudding In 2002, Jordan introduced mandatory wheat flour fortification. The program was initiated after the co- untry held its first nationally representative survey on (WHO) ile Nutrition International (NI) gibi sivil toplum kuru- luşları da dâhil olmak üzere, halkın kamu kesiminin des- teğinden yararlandığı Ortadoğu ve Afrika gibi bölgelerde geçerlidir [2]. Aslında, şu an dünya çapında mısır veya buğday gibi endüstriyel anlamda öğütülmüş tahıllardan en az birini zenginleştirmenin zorunlu olduğu 87 ülke var. Bu ülkelerin 86’sı, buğday ununu tek başına veya diğer tahıllarla kombinasyon hâlinde zenginleştirmenin, dünya- da yetersiz beslenmenin önüne geçilmesi için büyük bir fırsat olduğunu düşünüyor [3]. Unun zenginleştirilmesi: Hafife alınmayacak güç Un – temel olarak buğday ve mısır unu, ayrıca bölge- sel mahsullere bağlı olarak yerel varyasyonları – en yaygın olarak dağıtılan ve tüketilen temel gıda maddelerinden biridir. İşin aslı, yılda 600 milyon tondan fazla buğday ve mısır unu öğütülmekte ve dünya genelinde erişte, ekmek, makarna ve diğer unlu mamüller şeklinde tüketilmektedir [4]. Buğday ve mısır unu, birçok mikro besin maddeleri ile kolay bir şekilde zenginleştirilmekte, bu da un ürünlerinin küresel kamu sağlığını geliştirmede büyük bir potansiyele sahip olduğu anlamına gelmektedir [5]. Mikro besin öğeleri tek başına veya premiks olarak una eklenebilir. Ancak eklenen bu besin maddelerinin ürün içerisinde tamamen dağılması için unun iyi derecede ka-