Stability of Vitamin A in Fortified Vegetable Oil and Corn Soy Blend Used in Child Feeding Programs in India

The stability of vitamin A in foods subjected to transportation and storage conditions of child feeding programs in India was investigated. Pails of fortified soybean and bags of corn soy blend (CSB) were tracked from U.S. production and packaging sites to their point of distribution in Indian villages. Vitamin A levels found in different batches of CSB arriving in India varied 10-fold. An estimated 35 to 45% loss occured in vitamin A activity in CSB and equalled approximately 0-30% in oil. The study found no settling out of fortificant from oil. Cost calculations suggest significant savings in using oil as the vehicle for vitamin A instead of CSB.