Presenting author: Emely Lopez

Co-authors: Gaur, S., Engeseth, NJ, Nielsen, C., and Helferich, W.G.

Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition

Introduction: Iron Deficiency Anemia (IDA) affects more than 50% of women and children in rural Philippines. Fortification of condiments, such as soy and fish sauce, is proven successful in Asian countries for their excellent organoleptic and iron bioavailability characteristics, compared with traditionally fortified staples. Spiced vinegar (SV), is an inexpensive, widely available and culturally acceptable condiment in Filipino households, however, no technical evidence exists on its potential as fortification-vehicle. This study aimed to physicochemically characterize and evaluate consumer acceptability of SV fortified with iron. Methods: Coconut SV (Suka Pinakurat ™) was fortified with ferrous-sulfate(SV-FS), ferrous-fumarate(SV-FF), or NaFeEDTA (SV-EDTA) at 0.2 mg Fe/mL (~25%RENI). A non-Fortified SV (SV-NF) served as control. Fortificants were added directly to SV, vortexed (5 minutes) and stored for analysis. Physicochemical analyses (pH, titratable acidity, color, turbidity and iron stability) were conducted immediately after fortification and repeated up to 150 days post-fortification. Consumer acceptability was conducted with women (n=27) and college students (n=96; Bago City College) of Negros Island. Samples were fortified, stored for 1 month, and analyzed on a 9-point hedonic scale for color, appearance, aroma, sourness, and overall acceptability. Results: Acidity, pH and iron-content of samples were constant over 150 days. Darkness in SV-FS and SV-FF was higher than control and SV-EDTA at 30 days (p<0.05). Consumer acceptability differences were attributed to appearance and color. Acceptability of SV-EDTA was high and not different (p>0.05) than SV-NF control for all attributes studied. SV-FS and SV-FF were different than SV-NF and SV-EDTA for appearance, sourness, color and overall acceptability among students (p<0.05). Women reported no difference in overall-acceptability and aroma for all the samples. Overall, SV-EDTA was the most acceptable fortified vinegar. Significance: Iron deficiency induces low physical and cognitive development, contributing to a reduced economic productivity of the individual. Although it has been studied for decades, there is still a high prevalence in developing countries. This study demonstrated the technical feasibility for SV fortification with NaFeEDTA, which could potentiate its use in addressing IDA in low-income areas of the Philippines and countries utilizing similar condiments.