Food fortification: dsm-firmenich unveils dry vitamin A to combat nutrient deficiencies

To combat the global increase of vitamin A deficiency (VAD), dsm-firmenich unveils its Dry Vitamin A Palmitate NI — a new form of dry vitamin A. According to the company, the ingredient represents a stable and clean label solution for combating VAD through flour fortification. The ingredient is now available across the globe.

The company stresses that VAD remains a critical global health issue that affects 190 million preschool children, 19 million pregnant women and the WHO says it is one of the three most important nutritional deficiencies worldwide. VAD can cause growth and development deficits in children, loss of vision and increased risk of infection, and also has the potential to enhance risk factors for cognitive impairment and mental illness.

Many fortification efforts, such as “golden rice” and “golden lettuce,” center around introducing vitamin A to whole foods. Fortifying ingredients has represented a major challenge as vitamin A is unstable and difficult to preserve during food fortification processing such as hulling and milling. Its instability also presents challenges for storage.

“Our new dry vitamin A form exemplifies dsm-firmenich’s commitment to essential and equitable nutrition,” says Yannick Foing, VP of nutrition improvement at dsm-firmenich. 

“Over the last two and a half years, our R&D and formulation teams have led a truly collaborative project, supported by experts from intellectual property, regulatory affairs, production and product management, working tirelessly to overcome complex technical challenges while meeting strict industry standards such as USDA stability testing and US Pharmacopeia (USP) monograph requirements.”

Spotlight on stability

dsm-firmenich stresses that its innovative dry form of vitamin A overcomes previous stability limitations. The company emphasizes that the formulation is ideal for fortifying wheat flour, a critical global staple that delivers 20% of the world’s caloric intake and up to 50% in certain areas, as it retains its nutritional value even through rigorous food processing.

Moreover, Dry Vitamin A Palmitate NI is stabilized using all-rac-alpha tocopherol and sodium ascorbate and does not contain butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) or butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT). 

Furthermore, dsm-firmenich says the ingredient has a small particle size, with at least 90% passing through a 250 μm sieve. The fine size boosts its ability to integrate into wheat and other flours, makes it more efficient for fortification and offers an affordable solution to combat malnutrition among millions of vulnerable people worldwide.

“The result is a stable, clean label solution optimized for flour fortification, with a particle size tailored for seamless integration into existing food production processes,” Foing explains. 

“This innovation not only meets industry and regulatory standards but also advances our mission to reduce the nutrient gap for 800 million people by 2030, representing a significant step toward achieving UN Sustainable Development Goal 2 — ‘Zero Hunger,’ by improving access to nutritious food globally.”