Globally, iron, iodine, folate, vitamin A and zinc are the most deficient micronutrients in the diet. Most susceptible populations for micronutrient deficiencies are children and pregnant women. Two of the most widely used approaches to fighting malnutrition, are food fortification and micronutrient supplementation. Currently, food fortification is the most promising and cost-effective strategy to reduce malnutrition on a global scale. Due to its popularity, cheese can be the perfect vehicle for iron and zinc fortification programs. In the U.S., majority of milk is consumed as cheese. In 2017, in the U.S. per capita consumption of cheeses was approximately 39.0 pounds. Milk and cheese are nutrient dense foods. Cheese is often the recommended meat alternative in school lunch programs and in vegetarian diets. However, milk, cheese and other dairy products are naturally low in iron and zinc; One serving (28 g) of Cheddar cheese provides approximately 0.04 mg of iron and 0.87 mg of zinc. Iron and zinc are challenging micronutrients to add to cheese due to their potential to negatively affect cheese composition and organoleptic properties. Iron and zinc can further be challenging nutrients to add to milk and dairy foods due to their potential to displace other divalent cations in the milk systems. The goal of fortification is to increase nutritional content in a food product, without compromising other nutrients, and desirable sensory attributes. This presentation will review our most current research on iron and zinc fortification of Cheddar cheese; provide data and discuss the effect of microencapsulated ferrous sulfate and particle size on Cheddar cheese composition and quality, and sensory attributes. Data on divalent cation balance disturbances when fortifying Cheddar cheese with iron also will be discussed. The presentation will also provide data and discussion on the effect of zinc sulfate on culture growth and activity during cheese making, impact of zinc sulfate on cheese composition, quality and sensory attributes. Data on the impact of zinc sulfate addition on calcium balance in the cheese systems will also be presented and discussed. Selection of the fortificant, particle size, levels used, and the point addition during processing are all important considerations when fortifying dairy foods such as Cheddar cheese with iron and zinc. Iron and zinc fortified Cheddar cheese can be a suitable food source that is high in these nutrients.

Iron and zinc fortification of cheddar cheese

2019 Fall National Meeting

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