ABSTRACT
Vitamins are essential micronutrients which are required in very low concentrations (mg or µg) to perform various metabolic activities occurring in the human body system. Deficiency of vitamins results in various health-related disorders and certain complications. Fortifying vitamins in food seems to be a reliable and effective approach for their delivery among consumers in order to maintain recommended dietary allowances. Dairy products are important components in the global food chain; hence their fortification can play an critical role in meeting the daily dietary requirement of certain vitamins. The aim of the current chapter is to review technological interventions and nutritional aspects of vitamin (A and D) fortification in dairy products. Fortification with vitamins poses many technological challenges as these are sensitive to both light and heat. To overcome the losses of vitamins during processing and storage, overages should be calculated and further added to meet the regulatory standards related to vitamin fortification. Bioavailability of vitamins from fortified foods is another important aspect which has to be addressed since the form of vitamin (free or encapsulated) and type of carrier matrix significantly affects its bioavailability. The importance of legal issues regarding 202fortification, risk of hypervitaminosis and the methods used for estimation of vitamins in fortified foods are also discussed in this chapter.
