Vitamin A Deficiency (VAD)
Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) is the most common cause of preventable blindness. Based on data from the World Health Organization (WHO), an estimated 250 million children worldwide are vitamin A deficient as well as substantial portion of pregnant and lactating women. An estimated 250,000 to 500,000 children become blind yearly with half of them dying 6 months from being blind.In the Philippines, official data from the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and the Food Nutirition Research Institute (FNRI) showed a severe public health problem in VAD among 6 months to 5 year old children: from 35% in 1993 to 40% in 2003. The same severity was seen among pregnant and lactating women in the same years. In 2008, VAD decreased significantly among children (15%) while among pregnant and lactating women the problem was reclassified to moderate. However, in 2013, DOST-FNRI data showed that VAD among pre-school children increased to 20.4%, which is of a severe public health significance. On the other hand, VAD prevalence among pregnant and lactating women was reclassified as mild due to a decrease in VAD prevalence to 9% and 5%, respectively. (cite reference/s to show it came from official sources).
Food Fortification to Control VAD
Food fortification of commonly consumed foods with Vitamin A is one of the most cost effective strategies to control Vitamin-A Deficiency (VAD). In the Philippines, Republic Act 8976 was enacted in 2000 to mandate the fortification of cooking oil, wheat flour and refined sugar and promotion of fortification of processed foods with vitamin A. Since its implementation, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in coordination with the Philippines Department of Health provided technical assistance to all cooking oil and wheat flour refiners to ensure the proper conduct of fortification technologies. USAID also supported the conduct of a social marketing campaign to promote use of fortified foods as well as the management, research, monitoring and evaluation of food fortification. The law may have contributed to the significant decrease in VAD in 2008. However, with the continued profileration of unregulated non-fortified local and imported staples, VAD among pre-school children had increased in 2013. It was identified that one of the causes of the increase is that government regulators lacked a cost-efficient and effective tool to monitor, detect, and control these non-fortified food activities as mandated by law.The Research
Monitoring vitamin A fortification of cooking oil, both for external and internal is expensive because of the high cost of analysis of vitamin A using the HPLC method. Based on this, the USAID – MOST project commissioned a research for the development of a field test kit to determine vitamin A level for fortified staples. The initial research was conducted by its Technical Specialist Dr. Aloysius Baes in 2004 based on the Carr-Price method (colorimetric method) for determining vitamin A in foods. In this method, the Carr-Price reagent produces a blue color in reaction with vitamin A. In the initial study, methods were developed to delay the loss of blue color using an absorbent. However, the methods developed were appropriate only for qualitative measurement. Following the demise of Dr. Baes, the lead chemist of an oil company saw opportunities to improve and eventually commercialize the test kit as a semi-quantitative test kit to test vitamin A in cooking oil. Thus the Bagco Enterprises QuickView Vitamin A Test Kit for light colored cooking oils was developed and patented. With assistance from the USAID-MOST Project, the QuickView Vitamin A Test Kit has been calibrated against HPLC method by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and by Nutrition Center of the Philippines (See Validation Test of QuickView Kit).The test kit has also been used in monitoring by FDA, Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA), Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI), local cooking oil manufacturers and by the Ethiopia Oil Fortification Program.Validation Test of QuickView Kit
Instructional Guide on Using QuickView
Click HERE to watch the video.
Step 1:
Cut the big glass tube containing the liquid by placing both thumbs at the top etched cutting marker (1) (be sure to use a tissue or cloth to protect your hands) and break the glass against both thumbs as shown below. A holder for the glass is provided in the container box.
Step 2:
With the use of a dropper, add oil sample into the big tube up to the etched level marker (2).
Step 3:
Same as the first procedure, cut the small tube containing the powder at the etched marking. Transfer the contents into the big tube with the oil sample.
Step 4:
Mix the contetns of the big tube thoroughly with the wire stirrer.
Step 5:
Appearance of the blue color indicates the presence of Vitamin A. The level of concentration can be determined by compairing it with the color chart provided herein.
Validation Test of QuickView Kit
