Enhancing the bioavailability of micronutrients in complementary foods through technological intervention.

Iron deficiency anemia and zinc deficiency are the major micronutrient deficiencies that are coexistent
with protein energy deficiency among children under five years of age is a cause of concern. High
reliance on cereal pulse based diets that characteristically have poor bioavailability of the minerals due to
the presence of antinutritional factors is one of the major etiological factors for the existing nutrition
scenario. Hence, the current investigation was undertaken with the objective to formulate energy dense
complementary food mix (CFM) with balanced amino acids, dephytinise the mix by thermal and
enzymatic treatments, and maximise the bioaccessibility of iron and zinc further by the addition of
promoters.