Vitamin A Analysis of Fortified Palm Cooking Oil

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The Ministry of Industry, at the request of the Ministry of Health, issued a Minister Regulation No. 46 of 2019 which mandated the implementation of Indonesian National Standard (SNI) for Palm Cooking Oil No. 7709 of 2019. This SNI regulates variables of quality requirements for palm cooking oil which also specifies that palm cooking oil must contain a minimum of 45 IU of vitamin A at the manufacturer level.

Since the re-implementation of SNI for palm cooking oil and postponement due to COVID-19, there is no studies have been conducted to monitor the content of Vitamin A in branded palm cooking oil at the circulation level, except for those carried out by BPOM for the purposes of monitoring rule enforcement Based on these considerations, Nutrition International collaborated with KFI to conduct a study of Vitamin A content on palm cooking oil, focusing on the top brands (palm cooking oil with the highest market share) in Indonesia and on Minyakita "subsidized" packaged palm cooking oil in two major cities in Indonesia, namely Jakarta and Surabaya, using I-Check Chroma 3, a portable vitamin A analysis tool that is practical for field monitoring. At the same time, this study was also conducted to evaluate the accuracy of this tool against standard methods carried out using HPLC in accordance with the provisions applied in SNI for palm cooking oil.

The study found that nearly half (48.64%) of the samples contained vitamin A levels between >45-70 IU. Large retailers, minimarkets, and traditional markets predominantly sold MGS with this vitamin A content range. In large retail, MGS typically had vitamin A levels exceeding 45 IU, with some samples greater than 70 IU. Mini Markets also showed high vitamin A levels, whereas traditional markets had lower levels, including some MGS with vitamin A content below 20 IU. Additionally, no significant differences in vitamin A levels were observed based on the cooking oil's time on the market, whether it was less than or more than six months, in samples from both DKI Jakarta and Surabaya.

Based on the results of this study, there are several follow-up recommendations related to palm cooking oil. First, the high levels of vitamin A in top-brand packaged palm cooking oil indicate the industry's commitment to increasing consumers' vitamin A intake. However, there are still non-packaged palm cooking oil that are consumed by low-income households, so the implementation of Permendag No. 21/2015 on MGS packaging needs to be effectively promoted, including the expansion of Minyakita coverage. Second, there is a need to encourage the review of SNI standards by conducting tests at distribution points, as well as reviewing the minimum and maximum levels allowed at the market level. Third, further studies on the vitamin A content of MGS beyond the main brands are needed to obtain a more comprehensive picture. Fourth, the low levels of vitamin A in traditional markets highlight the importance of a fortification program accompanied by a quality assurance system, as well as education for traders and consumers about storage and processing. Finally, this study is a first step in addressing the data gap on the impact of mandatory fortification of MGS, but further evaluation is necessary to examine intake, vitamin A absorption from MGS, and the relationship between vitamin A blood levels, morbidity, and community immune status. Informasi lebih lanjut mengenai dokumen ini dapat didapatkan dengan menghubungi kami melalui email kfi@kfindonesia.org.

-Nur Rahmah Utami-

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