plementation programmes are in operation, may be a reason to fortify the supplementary food at the minimum level.
TABLE 1. Safe minimum daily intake of some micronutrients for infants and young children from 4-6 months to about 3 years old, based on energy requirements
Safe minimum range
|4-6 months||3 years|
|vitamin A (retinol or its ester)|
|vitamin D (cholecalciferol), IU||320||540|
|vitamin E (a -tocopherol), IU||5.6||9.4|
|ascorbic acid, mg||64||108|
|thiamine, m g||320||540|
|riboflavin, m G||480||810|
|niacin, m g||2,000||3,375|
|vitamin B6, m g||280||470|
|folic acid, m G||32||54|
|vitamin B12, m g||1.2||2.0|
|iodine, m g||40||68|
Figures are based on a daily average energy requirement of 800 kcal for an infant 46 months old and 1,350 kcal for a 3 year-old child [7, 9-11].
Hypercalcaemia in infants and young children is reported when total daily intake of vitamin D exceeds 2,000-4,000 IU for several months (1 IU = 0.025 m g vitamin D). Since the need for this vitamin is determined, in part, by exposure to sunlight and intensity of skin pigmentation, the safe level in the diet varies. These two factors also may affect whether it is appropriate to add vitamin D to formulated supplementary foods.
There are no reports of toxicities from ingestion of vitamin E in high levels, although excessive intake can interfere competitively with the absorption of other fat-soluble vitamins. It is unlikely that natural diets of infants or young children would contain vitamin E at toxic levels, and high-dose supplementation is also unlikely. Daily diets should aim at total intake of about 10-15 IU (1 IU = 1 mg a -tocopherol acetate).
Ingestion of calcium, phosphorus, iron, or iodine at toxic levels in the natural diets is unusual in the age groups for which supplementary foods are meant. In addition, the absorption efficiency of calcium is regulated by vitamin D. The greater concern with respect to safety is to maintain a habitual diet in which the ratio of dietary calcium to phosphorus is about 2 or less.
The limited availability of iron, especially in vegetable-based diets, makes toxicity of concern only when iron supplements exceed the range of 25-40 mg daily for older infants and young children. The desired range of daily iron intake is about 10-15 mg .
Total daily intake of iodine in excess of 600 m g can be injurious and is of concern only in areas where high doses of iodine are used in prophylactic programmes.
The choice of processing method depends on many factors, among them the primary purpose of the product, the social and economic conditions of the area into which it is being marketed, the local dietary habits of infants and young children, the hygienic conditions in which it is being used, the technology available, and local cost-benefit considerations [1, 2].
PREPARATION FOR USE
Non-heat-processed mixtures of raw ingredients should be adequately boiled during preparation, while boiling (for nutritional reasons) may not be required for heat-processed or enzymatically pretreated mixtures. The option not to boil such processed mixtures after addition of water depends above all on the quality of the water available, sanitary conditions in the surroundings, and personal hygiene practices. Food that is safe as consumed is of primary importance in feeding infants and young children, especially those at risk for malnutrition. Therefore, if there is any doubt about food safety, even heat-processed products should be boiled before they are fed.
Guidelines concerning the addition of fat (or sugar) during preparation were discussed earlier. To summarize briefly, if (a) the product is the only food fed, (b) no fat was added in the processing, and (c) the protein content is 15 g per 100 9, about 10 g fat or 20 g sugar (or an appropriate combination) should be added per 100 g product. This contributes an extra 90 kcal if fat is added and 80 kcal if sugar is added.
HYGIENE AND PACKAGING
When tested by appropriate methods, the final processed product should be free from pathogenic micro-organisms (and/or substances originating from s