FOLIC ACID

Research Department

BULLETIN
Editor: Gur Ranhotra I Volume XVI, Issue 8 I August, 1994

ADDING FOLIC ACID TO CEREAL GRAIN PRODUCTS

Gur Ranhotra, Ph.D.

Director, Nutrition Research
American Institute of Baking
and
Peter Ranum
Technical Director
Elf Atochem, Flour Service Department
Buffalo, NY 14240

INTRODUCTION fied as “low consumers” apparently consume less FA.

The United States enrichment program for cereal- Pregnancy increases the incidence of folate deficiency
grain products has always been a public health measure among populations with low or marginal intakes. Even
to help solve vitamin and mineral deficiencies. Evidence for populations consuming nutritionally sound diets, FA
has recently been accumulating that folic acid (FA), a B supplementation ranging from 100-1000 pg per day has
vitamin naturally present in wheat and other foods, will been recommended. On the basis of a 50% food folate
reduce the incidence of neural tube defects (NTD) in absorption, the daily allowance for FA is set at 400 pg
newborns if adequate amounts are consumed during during pregnancy (1). Although this intake level may be
the early stages of pregnancy. NTD can lead to tragic, achievable through proper food selections, many in the
lifelong disabilities-in particular, spina bifida (defective target group may not reach this level. Supplementation
neural tube) and anencephaly (brain not fully formed). and/or food fortification offer the best guarantee to en-
FA deficiency has also been implicated in colonic carcin- sure adequacy of FA intake.
ogenesis in some epidemiological studies. The United The total FA pool in adult males is about 7500 pg,
States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), acting on with liver being the major storage site (1). FA stores in
a petition from Dr. Glen Scott, a physician, has recently infants are small, and they are rapidly depleted by the
proposed amending the standards of identity for en- requirements for growth. A daily intake of 3-5 pg per kg
riched cereal grain products to include FA (also called body weight appears adequate for infants up to 2 years
folacin or folate) as a way of reducing the incidence of of age.
NTD. They argue that fortification of food staples is the FOLATE TOXICITY
only effective way to get FA to women in the early, criti-
Folic acid is often considered nontoxic in humans. In
cal stages of pregnancy, often before pregnancy has
women given 10,000 pg of FA a day for 4 months, no
been confirmed. This bulletin is written to provide infor-
untoward effects have been reported; however, without
mation on this proposal and what it would mean to the
evidence of benefit and with some potential for toxicity,
food manufacturer were it enacted.
excessive intakes are not recommended (1). FA and the
anticonvulsant drug phenyloin inhibit each other’s up-
FOLATE REQUIREMENT
take in the gut and possibly in the brain. Very large
Only plants and bacteria can synthesize FA; man and doses of FA may precipitate convulsions in persons tak-
animals must depend on diet to meet their FA require- ing phenyloin. A few studies have shown greater fecal
ment. This requirement is estimated at approximately 3 losses of zinc during periods of oral FA supplementa-
microgram (pg) per kg of body weight for men, non- tion, but zinc balance was not affected, presumably be-
pregnant/nonlactating women and adolescents (1). Ac- cause of a concomitant decrease in urinary zinc losses.
cording to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Nation-
wide Food Consumption Surveys, FA intake has essen- FOLATE VERSUS VITAMIN B-12
tially remained unchanged from 1960 to 1985, averaging At supplementation intakes of 400 pg or more folate
about 280-300 pg per capita per day. Individuals classi- a day, the issue of greatest concern is a potential in-
crease in the number of cases of vitamin B-12 deficiency
(FA can potentially mask signs of B-12 deficiency). This
is so because B-12 deficiency will be complicated by
concu~ent folate supplementation as fofate can pro-
duce a temporary or partial hematologicai remission in
patients with B-12 deficiency (pernicious anemia), but
fails tq correct the neurological abnormalities associated
with prolonged B-12 deprivation (2). It may be added
that B-12 deficiency is rarely encountered in women of
childbearing age.
FOOD SOURCES
In food products, FA is present complexed with giu-
tamic acid, occurring as monoglutamate and polyglu-
tamate. The mono form is absorbed directly from the in-
testine while the poly form must be hydrolyzed in the in-
testine to the mono form to allow absorption. About
75% of the folate in a mixed diet is present in the poly
form. The absorption of folate in the typical U.S. diet is
about 50%. Crystalline FA (monoglutamate), the form
used in food fortification and supplements, is absorbed
more efficiently than naturally-occurring food folate (1).
Folate is widely distributed in foods. Green leafy veg-
etables, wheat germ, liver, legumes, whole grains, forti-
fied cereals, yeast, egg yolk and citrus fruits are impor-
tant sources. Additionally, many vitamin supplements
and highly fortified cereal grains contain 400 pg of FA
which is equivalent to 100% of daily allowance (1).
Comprehensive data on folate in food are published in
the Agriculture Handbook No. 8. These values, how-
ever, may be 20% or so low due to analytical difficulties
encountered when determining FA in food.
FOLATE AND NEURAL TUBE DEFECTS
Accumulated evidence now suggests that supple-
mentation with FA during the periconceptional period
of pregnancy may reduce the incidence of NTD (3-5).
Prompted by this, the U.S. Public Health Service (PHS)
issued a recommendation in September, 1992, which
states that all U.S. women of childbearing age should
consume 400 pg of FA per day for the purpose of re-
ducing their risk of a pregnancy affected with NTD (5).
As mentioned earlier, high intakes of FA can compli-
cate the diagnosis of vitamin B-12 deficiency. As such,
the PHS recommended that folate intake levels not ex-
ceed 1000 pg per day. At the recommended intake level
of 400 pg FA per day, it has been suggested that a 50%
reduction in NTD can occur if all women consumed this
amount throughout their childbearing age. Scientific
evidence on FA vs. NTD and various other pronounce-
ments led the FDA to propose health claims on folate
(2,5).
FDA PROPOSALS ON FOLATE
In addition to proposing health claims (discussed
later), FDA has also proposed amended standards of
identity for cereal grain products to require fortification
with FA (Table I) (6). The levels required for various cer-
eal grain products are based on a level of 140 pg/lOO g
(0.635 mg/lb). Specific levels proposed for various
grain products are indicated later.
Page 2
NAT~R~LY-OCCURRING FOLATE
IN GRAIN PRODUCTS
Folate in Flour
The major fraction of grain miIling often contains
substantiaIly lower amounts of folate than the whole
grain, For example, FA in white flour is less than half as
much as in whole wheat (Figure 1) (7). In a study which
analyzed 63 commercially milled U.S. and Canadian
flours, mean FA content was found to be 19 pg/lOO g;
values varied significantly with hard and soft wheat
flours (Table II) (8).
Folate in Resultant Products
Values for folate in bread made with white flour aver-
age between 25-30 pg per 100 g. Most of this folate is
contributed by flour and yeast. In a study which ana-
lyzed several commercially produced variety breads ob-
tained from four major U.S. cities, the folate content
averaged between 20-54 c(g per 100 g (Table III) (9). In
that study, folate was also analyzed in selected pasta
products-spaghetti, egg noodles and macaroni; values
averaged between 19 and 26 1.19per 100 g dry pasta
product (10).
FORTIFYING GRAIN PRODUCTS
WITH FOLATE
NAS /NRC 1974 Proposal
In 1974, National Academy of Sciences/National Re-
search Council (NAS/NRC) proposed an expansjon of
TABLE I
RECOMMENDATIONS ON FOLIC ACID
September, 1992 (USPHS)
l Women of childbearing age consume 400 pg
of folate per day
l Mechanism: (a) Through improved dietary
habits, (b) Through folate supplementation, (c)
Through food fo~fication
November, 1992 (FDA)
l Folic acid su~ommi~ee (FASC) convened
l Issues, including foIic acid fo~ication, not re-
soIved
January, 1993 (FDA)
l Health claim on folate not autho~zed
l Reaffirmed support for PHS recommendation
(400 pg folate a day)
April, 1993 (FDA)
l FASC convened and supported FDA to pro-
pose health claim and, fortification of cereal
grain products with foIate
l Health claim on folate authorized
l Amend standards of identity for cereal grain
products to allow fortification with folic acid
October, 1993 (FDA)
l Proposed amending standards of identity
the current enrichment program (thiamin, riboflavin,
niacin, and iron, with calcium being optional) for cereal TABLE II
grain products (11). Recognizing the possibility of FA FOLATE CONTENT OF
deficiency occurring in the general public, FA was in- COMMERCIAL FLOURS
cluded in the expanded program (Table IV). At that
time, the association between FA with NTD, as is now Flour Type Folate Content
understood (3-5), was not recognized.
(rs/lOO !I)
At the level recommended (70 l.cg/lOO g), FA addi-
tion posed no taste or flavor problem in flour or in resul- All Flours 19*2
tant products. Magnesium, as a component of the ex- Hard Wheat 21*2
panded program, did pose some flavor problem in Soft Wheat 16*2
bread and other products, but this problem was re- Flour End Use
solved by taking into account the naturally-occurring Hearth Bread 24il
amounts of magnesium in flour and adding only the Pan Bread 20*1
amount needed to reach the recommended level (12). Cookies 19*2
Based on several studies carried out in the 1970s and Family 19i2
1980s technical feasibility of the expanded fortification Cake 14*0
program was affirmed (13). However, the program did From reference 8.
not reach the implementation stage, partly because
health concerns shifted from deficiency diseases to
degenerative diseases such as heart disease and cancer. TABLE III

FDA’s 1993 Proposal FOLATE CONTENT OF

SELECTED VARIETY BREADS
The estimates based on food consumption and supple-
mentation suggest that (a) fortification of standardized Bread Type Folate Content
cereal-grain products with FA at 70 pg/lOO or 140 bg/lOO a)
Pumpernickel 36*4
Raisin 36&l
Oatmeal 31*3
Whole Wheat 54*5
Cracked Wheat 43k6
Mixed Grain 52klO
Italian 33*9
French 31*11
Pita, White 2Oi8
Tortillas, Corn 15k6
From reference 9.

TABLE IV
EXPANDED CEREAL GRAIN FORTIFICATION

Nutrient Level Proposed

Vitamin A (Retinal Eq, .I 0.29

Thiamin 0.64
Riboflavin 0.40
Niacin 5.29
Folic Acid 0.07
Pyridoxine 0.44
Iron 8.8la
Calcium 198.2
Magnesium 44.1
sb 6b
Zinc 2.2

ExtractionRate (%) From reference 11.

aCurrent level: 4.4 mg/lOOg.
Figure 1. Folk acid losses during milling of wheat.

Page 3
~g/lOO g, (b) the avaiiabili~ of dietary supplement at
400 ~19FA per unit, and (c) the availabili~ of breakfast
cereals fortified at 100 pg FA per serving could provide
folate intakes that would substantially increase the intake
of the target population (5). This approach will, however,
still keep the intake level below 1000 pg daily for most
persons. Fortification at the 140 pg/lOO g level represents
twice the level recommended by the NAS/NRC in 1974
(Table IV) and is the level now proposed by the FA Sub-
committee.
CDC’s Position on FDA’s 1993 Proposal
Recently, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) re-
viewed the rather scant literature from which the con-
clusion that 1000 c(g total folate marks a safety boundary
was derived and has determined that 1000 /AQFA would
be a more reasonable boundary than 1000 pg total fol-
ate (all sources). In other words, total folate intake may
exceed 1000 pg level somewhat. According to the
CDC, estabIishing the boundary based on FA rather
than total folate consumption is appropriate because
evidence relative to the delay in diagnosis of vitamin
B-12 deficiency at consumption levels of 1000 pg and
above derives from persons who took FA supplements
orally, or received FA parenterally and who were simul-
taneously consuming folates from their diet. The CDC
also noted that for years, the cut point between “over-
the-counter” and prescription FA supplements has been
1000 pg.
ESTIMATES OF FOLATE INTAKES
Older adults, especially those who are “high consum-
ers” of food, are potentially at greatest risk of vitamin
B-12 deficiency, a deficiency which may be masked by
high intakes of FA. The estimates for folate intakes from
food in these individuals are 800-~ pg/day (5). Folate
intake would approach or exceed 1000 pg/day if cereal
grain products were fortified at 5-times the 1974 propos-
al, i.e., 350 pg/lOO g. This level of fortification may be
excessive and not meet the requirement that a food forti-
fication scheme be safe. This contrasts with a recent an-
nouncement from the CDC which considers cereal grain
fortification even at 350 pg FA/lOO g as acceptable.
According to FDA, by limiting FA addition to cereal
grains to 140 pg/lOO g, the estimated daily folate intake
by “low consumers” among women of childbearing age
may not reach the PHS-recommended levels of 400 pg/
day without proper selection of foods high in folates.
However, the 140 c(g/lOO g levet will mean that “low
consumers” among women of childbearing age will con-
sume 230-250 pg folate per day. These values represent
an increase of 80-100 vg/day over current daily intakes
(5).
Intake levels of about 250 pg/day are estimated as
adequate to normalize bfood folate levels and to provide
for some tissue storage (1). Studies have aiso shown
that daily intakes of 250 c(g or more are associated with
a reduced risk of NTD. FDA notes that intakes of
230-250 rg/day are minimum intakes for women of
childbearing age, and that most women will have in-
takes above this levei. Thus, FDA tentatively finds that
even though “low consumers” may not achieve the rec-
ommended (by PI-IS) 400 pg FA intake a day, the pro-
posed fortification (140 pg/lOO g) will produce accept-
able results. This level of fortification will also minimize
the potential adverse effects of higher intakes on the
nontarget population.
COST OF FORTIFICATION
Table V summarizes much of the October 14, 1993,

TABLE V
PROPOSED FOLK ACID FORTIFICATION
Cereal Products
Wheat Flour Bread & Rolls Farina Pasta Corn Meal, Rice
Corn Grit
Level Proposed
mgilb 0.7 0.43 0.7-0.87 0.9-1.2 0.7-1.0 0.7-1.4

Natural Level.
mg/lb 0.076 0.15 0.076 0.076 0.023 + 0.036 +

Proposed Level
to Add
mg/lb 0.7 0.7a 0.7 0.9 0.75 0.75

aThe proposed level for FA in bread and rolls is 0.43 mg/lb or 62% that of wheat flour. This is based on hav-
ing an average 62% flour in these products. The natural level of FA in bread is 0.15 mg/lb or 33 pg/lOO g.
About one third of this comes from the flour and two thirds from the yeast. Bakers who use enriched flour
would get a final FA level in bread, assuming no bake loss, of around 0.58 mg/lb. This would appear to be
well above the 0.43 mg/lb standard. However, there is bound to be some bake loss so it wouId be best to re-
tain the 0.7 mg/lb addition rate, even if applied at the bakery.

Pane 4
 FDA proposal to add FA to the standards of identity for products.
enriched grain products (6). They estimated the cost of In the U.S., the ability to make and sell unenriched
the FA at $4 million per year. In addition, they estimated products in any state was made considerably easier by
the first year labeling changes to be about $20 million and the Nutrition Labeling and Educatiin Act of 1990 which
$2.5 million for analytical costs. After the first year, the appears to have made enrichment voluntary (final court
annual cost was estimated to be $7 million per year plus confirmation is pending).
the cost of separate production runs for these products Canada has set mandatory enrichment standards that
exported to and imported from certain countries. encompass,Nbarely, the U.S. standards as shown in Table
The cost of fortifying flour to meet the proposed level VI. This overlap was done to promote trade of enriched
of 0.7 mg/lb standard depends on the amount of FA ac- products between the two countries. It is normal prac-
tually added. This is usually the desired level less the tice in Canada to enrich flour to minimum standards.
natural level plus a safety factor to ensure compliance, Additional enrichment is then added if the product is
normally about 10%. Since the natural level of FA in destined for U.S. Enriched product made in the U.S.
wheat products is about 10% of the proposed standard can generally be exported to Canada without alteration.
(Table V), it is suggested that one add 0.7 mg/lb for Canada is not keen on the idea of adding FA at the
flour and 0.9 mg/lb for semolina or pasta. In the case of U.S. proposed levels. Their position is that “FA fortifica-
corn and rice which have lower levels of natural FA, a tion of staple foods such as cereal products will expose
higher level of 0.75 mg/lb is suggested. the entire population to levels of folate intake which are
At the current price for FA, it is estimated that the cost higher than have been historically consumed while, at
of fortifying wheat flour with FA will be 1.4 cents per 100 the same time, the intake of folate that can safely be
lb of flour. This represents 15% of the cost of enrich- achieved through fortification may well not be sufficient
ment with all five nutrients (Table VI). If 90% of all flour, to effectively reduce the occurrence of NTDs in the tar-
pasta and bread was fortified, considered to be the nor- get population”. They propose, instead, that both coun-
mal extent of enrichment in the U.S., the total cost of tries adopt the 1974 cereal fortification level (FA, 0.07
adding FA to wheat-based foods would be $5 million mg/lOO g) proposed by NAWNRC (11). If Canada de-
per year. cides not to go along with the higher FA fortification lev-
els, it would hamper free trade of cereal-based foods be-
EXPORT CONSIDERATION tween the two countries, since each would have to en-
Any U.S. manufacturer wishing to export flour, bread rich products to meet the other’s standards. Mexico may
or any other cereal product has to meet the relevant allow import of products enriched to U.S. standards.
food regulations of that country, including countries
closer to home such as Canada and Mexico. Some HEALTH CLAIMS
countries, like Germany and France, do not allow addi- Examples Proposed: As mentioned earlier, besides
tion of any vitamins to flour or bread; only unenriched amending standards of identity for cereal grain products
products would be accepted in these countries. Other to allow folate addition, FDA also proposed authorizing
countries, like England, have their own enrichment reg- health claims. Three examples were proposed for model
ulations that have to be satisfied. Some countries would health claims that might be used in food labels or in label-
permit enrichment, as long as the product is properly ing to describe the relationship between folate and NTD
labeled. Other countries might forbid it. Clearly, one (5) ; one example is shown in Table VII. Milling and bak-
should be aware of the target country’s regulations. The ing industry groups have criticized the wordiness of the
safest approach may be to export only unenriched FDA proposed example and have submitted to the agen-
cy a shorter version for consideration (Table VII).
‘C4EILEVI Health Claims vs. Folate Intake: Providing
health claims on food labels may affect food selection
UNITED STATES AND CANADIAN choices of women of childbearing age. For example,
WHEAT FLOUR ENRICHMENT S’IANDARDS health claims on cereal-grain products fortified with FA
Amount (mg/lOOg) at the level proposed is likely to result in increased con-
sumption of such foods which, in turn, means higher
United
folate intakes. A woman who consumed 5 servings per
States Canada
day (the low range of the suggested servings for grain
(Minimum) (Minimum) (Maximum) products in the Food Guide Pyramid) of folate-fortified
Thiamin 0.64 0.44 0.77 cereal-grain products, and ate one bowl of cereal con-
Riboflavin 0.40 0.27 0.48 taining 100 pg of FA would consume about 320 pg of
Niacin 5.29 3.5 6.4 FA from these sources alone. Adding two or more serv-
Iron 4.41 2.9 4.3 ings of fruits and vegetables could lead to a folate intake
Folic Acid 0.15 0.04 0.05 well above the PHS recommended level of 400 pg/day
Calciuma 211 110 140 of folate (5). Thus, the availability of health claims on
foods could lead to food choices that could result in
aOptional adequate folate intakes even by “low consumer”
women of childbearing age. Health claims may also

Page 5

TABLE VII
HEALTH CLAIM EXAMPLES
FDA PROPOSED:
Women who consume adequate amounts of fol-
ate, a B vitamin, daily throughout their childbearing
years may reduce their risk‘of having a child with a
neural tube defect. Such birth defects, while not
widespread, are very serious. They can have many
causes. Adequate amounts of folate can be ob-
tained from diets rich in fruits, dark green leafy veg-
etables and legumes, enriched grain products, forti-
fied cereals, or a supplement. (Folate consumption
should be limited to 1000 pg/day from all sources.)
concentrate of rice kernels coated with the nutrients also
shows good FA stability during storage and during cook-
ing (17).
Stability In Bread: As mentioned earlier, most of
the folate in bread is contributed by yeast and flour.
Studies have shown good folate stability in bread prod-
ucts made by three di~erent methods and with various
additives added alongside. In bread made by the
TABLE VIII
STABILITY OF FOLATE
IN WHEAT AND FLOUR
Processinn Condition Folate

INDUSTRY PROPOSED:
Women who consume adequate amounts of fol- Whole Grain
ate, a B vitamin, daily throughout their chiIdbearing Raw 38 46
years reduce their risk of having a child with a birth Steam Flaked 24 29
defect of the brain and spinal cord. Adequate Autoclaved 28 28
amounts of folate can be obtained from diets rich in Popped 11 13
enriched grain products, vegetables and legumes, White Flour
and fruits and juices. Raw 21 27
Extruded 17 21
Drum Dried 16 20
help individuals who wish to limit their f&ate intakes.
From reference 15 ~Processing under severe condi-
STAB~I~ OF ADDED FOLK ACID tions) .
All vitamins undergo some degree of loss during food
processing. For FA, losses are most extensive during
blanching of fresh produce, either as a pretreatment for TABLE IX
canning and freezing or dehydration (14). Folate losses STABILIW OF ADDED FOLATE IN FLOUR
in grain products are usually less severe than in proc- (Flour Stored: 52 Weeks)
ess&d fresh produce. However, losses do occur and this
must be taken into consideration to more precisely as- F&ate Added Folate (pg / 100s)
sess the contribution of FA from cereal grain products. -lOOF 84OF lOOoF 120°F
(~~/lOO $5)
Stability in Wheat Grain and Flour: Various ther-
mal processing conditions (steam-flaking, autoclaving, 100 120 110 110 100
popping, extrusion, etc.) have different effects on folate 500 530 540 550 490
stability of flour. Popping whole wheat grain at 240°C From reference 16.
for 13-15 minutes at 13.3% moisture showed pro-
nounced losses of folate (Table VIII) (15).
Storage studies of flours indicated losses of native fol- TABLE X
ate up to 40% after 12 weeks of storage at 120°F, with
no further losses up to 52 weeks (16). Added FA seems STABILITY OF ADDED FOLATE
more stable in stored flour. Storage studies conducted IN FLOUR
on a commercial all-purpose flour (likely to have longest
shelf life) showed that after 52 weeks of storage, flour at Folate Addeda Foiate Retention ( X 1’
84OF and lOOoF had lost little FA activity when com- (~~/lOO !I) Premix AC Premix BC
pared to the control flour (flour stored at - lOoF); losses
70 100 96
at 120°F were only 8-17%) indicating good fotate stabil-
ity (Table IX) (16). Another study which examined fol- From reference 17.
ate stability in flour maintained at room temperature for
6 months, also reported only minimal folate loss (Table aLabel claim, Initial analytical values were: 63 pg
(Premix A) and 70~9 (Premix B).
Xl (17).
Stability in Other Grains: FA added to corn meal bAfter 6 months at room temperature.
and corn grit (via powder premixes) has shown good
Premix A and B contain NAS 1974 recommended
stability (Table Xl) (17). Rice is ~aditionally enriched us-
nu~ients, with Ca and Mg excluded from premix B.
ing an enriched kernel. Rice fortified by means of 1:200

Page 6
straight dough method, folacin loss was only 8% (Tab10
XII) (16). No significant differences were observed due
to additives. Also, there was no apparent increase in fol-
ate due to yeast, probably because samples were not
treated with the enzyme conjugase and bound folats
was, thus, not extracted. In breads made by the sponge
and dough procedure or by the mechanical process, fol-
acin Iosses ranged between l&14% (proofed dough vs.
bread). Flour used in these studies contained 12 ~g/lO~
g native and 500 pg added folate.
In another study with bread products made with FA-
fortified flour (42 ~(13FA/lOO g) , most of the original FA
was retained in bread after baking (Table XIII) (17). Re-
tention was higher when the folacin-containing premix
was formulated at the 1974 NAS/NRC recommended
levels, but excluding calcium and magnesium. It is sug-
gested that calcium and magnesium have some deleteri-
ous effect on folacin ~tabiiity.
Stability in Cookies: A study reported in 1981(18]
took a mathema~cal approach in predicting FA reten-

TABLE Xi
STABILITY OF FOLK ACID ADDED TO CORN
Folic Acid bs)
Corn Meal Corn Grit
Initial 3 Month 6 Month Initial 3 Month 6 Month
132 110 110 108 100 110
From reference 17.

TABLE XII
STABILITY OF ADDED FULATE DURING BREADM~ING

Fdate Content ~~~/lO~ g dry sample)

Treatment
Stxaight Dough Spong~Dou~h M~ka~i~ai Dough
Method Method Method
Mixa Proof Bread Mix” Proof Bread Mixa Proof Bread
Control A 490 540 460 680 540 450 500 460510
Control B 560 560 520 680 520 470
Ascorbic Acid 470 500 440 620 530 420
Potassium Bromate 490 410 410 480 440 420
580 520 430
Benzoyl Peroxide 400 420 390 520 490 400
Azodicarbonamide 480 470 440 540 490 410
Average Vaiues:
Calculated 500 500 500 550 500 500 480 480 480
Determined 480 480 440 590 500 430 540 510 450
From reference 16,
aMix: Freshly mixed dough.
Total fermentation and proof time: 235 min. (straight dough), 350 min. (sponge and dough), and 75 min.
(mechanical dough). Compressed yeast used: 2%, flour basis.

TABLE XIII
STABILITY OF FOLACIN IN BREAD8

Folacin Retention 4
. %,1
After Baking After 5 Days (Room Temperature)
Premix A Premix B Premix A Premix B
94 105 80 102
From reference 17.
aFolacin added: 42 ~g/lOO g. Premixes are same as in Table X.
tron in FA-enriched cookies. Using fortified flour (70 pg
FA/lOO g) as recommended by the NAS/NRC, FA re-
tention was predicted by linear regression using baking
time (‘7.6~12.7 min) , baking temperature (33443Z°F),
unneutralized soda squared (0.3-35 mmol per 100 g
flour), and dough thickness (5-10.5 mm) as indepen-
dent variables. Results indicated that on average 85%
of the dough folate was retained by the control cookies
(bake time, 9.8 min.; bake temperature, 385OF; excess
soda, 3.3 mmol; and thickness, 7mmf.
Stability in Pasta Products: Some FA losses
would also occur in grain-based foods such as dry pasta
products which require further processing before con-
sumption. In a study which assessed folate losses during
the cooking of dry pasta products (unfortified) pur-
chased in four major U.S. cities, folacin losses averaged
23% ; in other words, at least three-fourths of the folacin
was retained (Table XIV) (10). Such may also be the
case in fortified pasta products.
TABLE XIV
FOLACIN LOSSES IN
COOKED PASTA PRODUCTS
Product Content Retention ( % )
(clsfloo 8)
Spaghetti 24&S 79*17
Egg Noodles 26rt8 79i21
Macaroni 19i5 77*9
From reference 10.
SUMMARY
Accumulated evidence now links inadequacy of foIic
acid intake in women of childbearing age with neuraf
tube defects in the newborn. As a public health mea-
sure, the United States Public Health Service has now
proposed that the enrichment standards for cereal grain
products be revised to also include folic acid. Concurr-
ing with this recommendation, the Food and Drug Ad-
ministration has now recommended fortification of
cereal grain products at a level of 140 microgram per
100 g and has also proposed allowing health claims to
be put on food labels and in labeling. Added folic acid
seems reasonably stable in stored flour and other cereal
grains and in resultant products.
REFERENCES
1. FN~/N~C. Recommended Dietary A~~o~an~es.
Food and Nutrition Board/National Research
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