1. Processing and Vitamins and Minerals

2. Effects of Processing on Vitamins and Minerals
Effects depend on the sensitivity of the vitamin or mineral to:
heat
oxygen pH
light
Vitamin content more likely to be affected by processing than is mineral content.
B Processing and Vitamins and Minerals

3. Specific Effects of Processing
Vitamin C (ascorbic acid)
Decrease during storage, drying, heating, oxidation, and chopping/slicing
Stable to heat under acidic conditions
Vitamin B1 (thiamine)
Destroyed by high temperature, neutral and alkaline conditions
Lost in cooking water
Vitamin B2 (riboflavin)
Sensitive to light at neutral and alkaline conditions
Moderately heat stable under neutral conditions
Sensitive to heat under alkaline conditions
B Processing and Vitamins and Minerals

4. Specific Effects of Processing
Vitamin B3 (niacin)
Most stable vitamin
Stable to heat and light
Leaches in cooking water
Folate
Decreases with storage and prolonged heating
Lost in cooking water
Destroyed by using copper utensils
Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine)
Heat stable in alkaline and acidic conditions
Vitamin B12
Destroyed by light and high pH

5. Specific Effects of Processing
Carotenes
Easily destroyed by heat
Destroyed when exposed to heat and light
Vitamin A
Vitamins D and E
Oxidize when exposed to heat and light

6. Additives Perform useful functions in foods.
Vitamins and minerals added to many foods, to make up for those lacking in a person's diet or lost in processing.
Such fortification and enrichment has helped reduce malnutrition among the U.S. population.
All products containing added nutrients must be appropriately labeled.
B Processing and Vitamins and Minerals

7. Enrichment
Adding one or more nutrients already present in a food in lower than desirable amounts.
Examples include:
Bread -- enriched with B vitamins lost in the processing of white flour.
Enriched flour -- pasta, tortillas, and any products made with enriched white flour are also enriched foods.
B Processing and Vitamins and Minerals

8. Fortification
Adding significant quantities of a nutrient not originally present in a food or present only in nutritionally insignificant amount.
Examples include:
Low fat and non-fat milk -- fortified with vitamin A
Orange juice – fortified with calcium
Salt -- fortified with iodine
Milk -- fortified with vitamin D
Cereals and fruit juices – often fortified with vitamins and minerals
B Processing and Vitamins and Minerals