Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
Food fortification is the practice of deliberately increasing the content of an essential micronutrient (vitamins and minerals) in a food during processing.
It is a public health strategy used to reduce nutrient deficiencies in the general population.
Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
Cereals like wheat, rice, and maize are staple foods consumed in large quantities worldwide.
However, the milling and refining process removes the outer bran and germ layers, leading to significant losses of essential vitamins and minerals.
To address these losses and combat widespread micronutrient deficiencies (such as iron deficiency anemia, neural tube defects, and goiter), governments and food processors fortify refined cereals.
During fortification, essential micronutrients like iron, folic acid, vitamin A, zinc, and B-complex vitamins (thiamine, riboflavin, niacin) are added back to the flour or rice grains.
This process is designed to improve the nutritional profile of the food without altering its taste, cooking properties, or appearance.
It is not intended to change the flavor, increase the protein content, or extend the shelf life of the cereals.
Therefore, the primary objective is to improve nutritional value.
Step 3: Final Answer:
The primary objective of cereal fortification is to add essential vitamins and minerals to improve its nutritional value.