Efficacy of Micronutrient fortified Extruded Rice in Improving the Iron and Vitamin A status in Indian Schoolchildren

The efficacy studies conducted for six months revealed a significant increase in Haemoglobin and serum ferritin and a significant decrease in total iron binding capacity in the subjects consumed iron-fortified rice, but more so in the subjects consumed rice fortified with iron along with either vitamin A or beta-carotene. Likewise, the serum retinol was significantly increased in children received beta-carotene or vitamin A fortified meals and more so was in the children received rice fortified with beta-carotene or vitamin A along with iron. In sensory evaluation the micronutrient fortified rice (after blending with natural rice in the ratio of 1: 100) was almost indistinguishable from natural rice after cooking except beta-carotene fortified rice which could not match the white colour of natural rice. The cost analysis revealed that cost to fortify rice can have a very small impact on rice consumption. From the present study, it can be concluded that providing micronutrient fortified rice in school feeding programme could reduce the large burden of ID, IDA and VAD among children in developing countries.