Vitamin loss during food processing

In general, vitamins are added to a food for vitaminization, restoration, standardization and fortification. Vitaminization makes foods that usually do not contain vitamins carriers of vitamins. Restoration is used to compensate for vitamin losses during processing of food. Fortification is used to ensure vitamin adequacy for populations. Standardization describes fortification of a product to a standard within its class (O Brien and Roberton, 1993 Combs, 1998). Tocopherols and tocotrienols may also be added to foods and feeds as an antioxidant. 

Typical Vitamin B Losses Incurred during Food Processing (mg/g)... 

During food processing and culinary operations, vitamin B12 seems to be very stable. The main reason for the loss is leaching into water. 

During the last several years, much research has gone into determining the loss in effectiveness of vitamins as various foods are processed. It is a common tendency on the part of consumers fo regard any fresh food as representing perfection in terms of nutritive, including vitamin, value... 

Food manufacturers have generally added higher levels of bioactives than required to compensate for losses during processing and storage. To ensure that the level of addition claimed is maintained throughout the shelf-life of the food, overages of 5%-50% of beta-carotene and vitamins C and E have been added to dairy... 

To predict nutrient deterioration, knowledge of the reaction rate as a function of temperature of storage or processing is needed. The kinetics of ascorbic acid destruction have been examined most extensively in model systems, with particular attention being given to intermediate moisture foods (17, 71,78,79). Most of the data available for vitamin C losses in actual food systems are insuflBcient to calculate the kinetic parameters needed to predict losses during heat treatment or storage. 

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