摘要：Iron which is an essential element in animal and human nutrition, is involved in various biological functions like the transportation, storage and utilization of oxygen by the red cells of the blood and redox processes. Iron deficiency is considered to be the commonest worldwide nutritional deficiency and affects approximately 20% of the world population. Iron deficiency is usually the result of unsufficient dietary intake of iron, poor utilization of iron from ingested food, or a combination of the two. In its advanced stages, iron deficiency leads to anemia, and this is associated in young children with retarted cognitive development, and in pregnant women with an increased risk of premature childbirth and maternal death. Milk and dairy products are rich in many nutrients whereas poor in iron. As iron in the body is taken by the diet, iron fortification of milk and dairy products can be an effective solution for increasing iron intake of the population. As iron fortification of milk and dairy products induces several biophysicochemical modifications, fortification process should affect nutrients of dairy products at minimum level.
关键词：Iron; iron deficiency; fortification; dairy products
