Scientists at Rio de Janeiro University say they believe that coffee could be fortified with minerals and ‘micronutrients’ in order to improve health.
Micronutrient deficiency affects about 2 billion individuals worldwide. Iron deficiency is the most prevalent, reaching around 1.6 billion people in the world. In addition to iron deficiency, data in the literature indicates low intake of foods rich in calcium and zinc by the Brazilian population at different ages. Nutritional deficiencies are considered major challenges for health policies in Brazil, not only for low income groups.
One of the ways to increase minerals intake which has been widely used by the food industry is food fortification, consisting of addition of nutrients to processed foods. The foods chosen for fortification should be habitually consumed by the population and accessible to them.
Coffee is one of the most widely consumed food products in the world, by all income classes. In Brazil, it is consumed daily by about 78 per cent of the population above 10 years old. In addition, it is rich in bioactive compounds and could be a promising vehicle for fortification with iron, zinc and calcium.
The scientists studied the recovery of different salts of Fe, Zn and Ca in coffee beverages prepared by different methods. Ground roasted samples of Arabica and Robusta coffees were fortified with the amounts equivalent to 30 per cent of the Brazilian recommended daily intake (RDI) for adults (14mg of Fe, 7mg of Zn, and 1000mg of Ca).
The scientists found that coffee may be a promising vehicle to fight deficiencies of Fe, Zn and Ca in Brazilian population, and more tests are under way.
