Title:Micronutrient Fortification in Foods and Soy Milk, a Plant-based Milk
Substitute as a Candidate Vehicle
Volume: 18
Issue: 8
Author(s): Baishakhi De and Tridib Kumar Goswami*
Affiliation:
- Agricultural and Food Engineering Department, IIT Kharagpur- 721302, India
Keywords:
Food fortification, micronutrient malnutrition, hidden hunger, soy milk, candidate vehicle, soy-fortified products, public health.
Abstract:
Background: Food fortification is an effective intervention strategy to combat micronutrient
malnutrition, hidden hunger, and for improvement of public health and nutritional status.
Choice of a cost-effective, widely consumed, compatible, and stable candidate vehicle is essential
for successful fortification.
Objective: This comprehensive review discusses the aspects of food fortification along with the
suitability of soy milk, a plant-based milk substitute, as a candidate vehicle for fortification.
Methods: Literature mining was done in food research journals, Pubmed, Scopus to collect
adopted fortification strategies and preferred vehicles for fortification.
Results: Soy milk is a popular health beverage, globally consumed and preferred amongst lactovegetarians,
and especially those with bovine milk allergy and lactose intolerance. This plantbased
milk alternative is enriched in polyunsaturated fatty acids, phytoestrogens, and isoflavones
along with different macro- and micronutrients. As a candidate vehicle, soy milk offers the advantage
of incorporating a wide range of fortificants, is widely consumed, stable, and is compatible
with fortificants.
Conclusion: Successful implementation of the fortification strategy and its global scale-up need
to overcome different scientific and technological hurdles, socio-economic, ethical, and political
barriers, as well as legislative issues. Public-private, multi-stake holder and global partnerships,
boosting of small-scale food industries, and developing tie-ups with large scale industries, as
well as promoting public awareness regarding the need for fortification are other necessary requisites.
