Monitoring the voluntary fortification of maize meal with riboflavin and nicotinamide.

To combat vitamin deficiencies in populations whose dietary staple is maize, the fortification of maize meal with riboflavin and nicotinamide has been recommended. Subsequently, part of the milling industry has voluntarily fortified the meal with these two vitamins. In the present study, the concentrations of added riboflavin and nicotinamide were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography in 43 samples from a wide area. With the exception of three samples, concentrations of these vitamins were below the recommended level, and most were less than half this amount. Fortification programmes require regular monitoring by an independent authority.