Background:

Micronutrient deficiency, mainly iron deficiency, is one of the main nutrition problems worldwide.

Objective:

To evaluate the adequacy of micronutrient content (iron and B complex vitamins) in samples of flour from processing and fractionating companies in Paraguay, and to determine the significant differences in micronutrient concentrations during the period 2015-2019.

Materials and Methods:

Descriptive and longitudinal study. A total of 540 flour samples were collected. The test method to quantify water-soluble vitamins was high-performance liquid chromatography. Iron was determined using the AOAC985.35 method.

Results:

Samples were obtained from 10 re gions: 87.2% were taken from manufacturing plants or mills. 98.1% of the samples were type 000 flours (n=498). The micronutrients that most frequently presented adequate concentrations were iron and niacin, while folic acid presented the least adequate concentrations. Significant differences in micronutrient concentrations were observed throughout the mentioned period.

Conclusions:

It is necessary to continue monitoring in order to guarantee compliance with cur rent legislation, especially regarding concentrations that are insufficient or above the 90th percentile.

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