Vitamin A (VA)-fortified rice is a potential intervention strategy to prevent VA deficiency in at-risk populations. Hot-extruded, triple-fortified rice grains with added VA, zinc, and iron were produced by hot extrusion technology and their ability to improve VA status was tested in Thai schoolchildren. The fortification levels were 10 mg of iron, 9 mg of zinc, and 1.05 mg of VA/g extruded rice. A paired stable isotope dilution technique with labeled ¹³C₂-retinyl acetate (¹³C-RID) was used to quantify VA pool size at the beginning and end of the feeding period. Fifty healthy schoolchildren with a serum retinol (SR) concentration of >0.7 μmol/L were randomly assigned to 2 groups to receive either triple-fortified rice (n = 25) or natural rice (n = 25) for 2 mo as part of the daily school meal. The fortified grains, mixed 1:50 with regular rice, were estimated to provide an extra 890 μg of VA/d, 5 d/wk. ¹³C₂-retinyl acetate (1.0 μmol) was administered orally to each child before and at the end of the feeding period to estimate total body reserves (TBRs) of VA, which increased significantly (P < 0.05) in the intervention group from 153 ± 66 μmol retinol at baseline to 269 ± 148 μmol retinol after 2 mo of feeding. There was no change in the TBRs of VA in the control group (108 ± 67 vs. 124 ± 89 μmol retinol) (P = 0.22). Serum retinol remained unchanged in both groups. We conclude that VA-fortified, hot-extruded rice is an efficacious vehicle to provide additional VA to at-risk populations, and that the efficacy of VA-fortified foods can be usefully monitored by the ¹³C-RID measurement of TBRs of VA but not by changes in SR concentration.

Iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), and vitamin A (VA) deficiencies are common among children in developing countries and often occur in the same individual. Rice is widely consumed in the developing countries of Asia and the low phytate in polished rice makes it ideal for Zn and Fe fortification. Triple-fortified rice grains with Zn, Fe, and VA were produced using hot extrusion technology. The main objective of the present study was to determine the impact of triple-fortified extruded rice on Zn status in school children in Southern Thailand. Although serum zinc was the main outcome indicator, Fe and VA status were also assessed. School children with low serum zinc (n = 203) were randomized to receive either triple-fortified rice (n = 101) or natural control rice (n = 102) as a component of school lunch meals for 5 mo. Serum Zn, hemoglobin, serum ferritin, serum retinol, and C-reactive protein were measured at baseline and at the end of the study. After the intervention, serum Zn increased (P < 0.05) in both the fortification (11.3 ± 1.3 μmol/L) and control (10.6 ± 1.4 μmol/L) groups, most likely due to the proper implementation of the school lunch and school milk programs, with the increase greater in the group receiving the triple-fortified rice (P < 0.05). Because the children were not Fe or VA deficient at baseline, there was no change in Fe or VA status. We conclude that Zn fortification of extruded rice grains is efficacious and can be used to improve Zn status in school children.

Multi-micronutrient-fortified rice could be an effective and sustainable approach to combat micronutrient deficiencies. We produced hot-extruded artificial rice grains fortified with 10 mg iron (as micronised ground ferric pyrophosphate), 5 mg zinc (as oxide, sulphate or carbonate) and 750 lg vitamin A ⁄ g [as retinyl palmitate (RP)] and measured RP stability. The rice was designed to be mixed 1:200 with natural rice. Mean RP losses were 5.3% during extrusion, 28.5% during storage and 9.8% during cooking. Storage losses after 18 weeks at 30°C in plastic packages exposed to light were ca 40% with iron and zinc causing no further losses. In aluminium packages (no light), mean RP losses were ca 20%. Iron, but not zinc, increased RP degradation. Zinc sulphate increased the negative effect of iron. The relatively good stability of RP during hot extrusion can be explained by the closed surface and dense nature of the artificial grain protecting RP from oxidation.

No cases of VAD were identified by both TLRs and SR (true positives) in Thai or Zambian children. Specificity of SR to evaluate VAD was high, but additional research is needed to investigate sensitivity. Adjusting SR cutoffs for inflammation improved specificity by reducing false positives. SR as a VAD indicator may depend on infection rates, which should be taken into consideration. These studies were registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT01061307 (for Thailand) and NCT01814891 (for Zambia).

The objective of this extensive series of experiments, involving more than 2800 field cage tests with potted mango trees, was to assess pre‐release supplements to enhance the mating success of sterile male Bactrocera dorsalis and Bactrocera correcta. We examined the effects of different pre‐release diets and methyl eugenol (ME), both independently and in combination. Tests were carried out more than 15 and 18 days for B. dorsalis and B. correcta, respectively, each day increasing the age of sterile flies. To evaluate the effect of different pre‐release diets on males, no‐choice mating tests were conducted with sterile males of increasing age and mature sterile females. Sterile males fed up to 2 days of age on sugar–yeast hydrolysate combinations achieved significantly more matings than males fed only water in B. dorsalis and more matings than males fed only sugar, only yeast hydrolysate or only water in B. correcta. To examine the effect of ME on mating performance, 2‐, 3‐, 4‐ or 5‐day‐old sterile males were given or not given access to ME for 1 h, followed by the sugar–protein diet until the day of the mating test. Mating performance tests were carried out with ME‐exposed and non‐exposed sterile males competing with mature wild males for wild females. Results showed a significant mating advantage of ME‐exposed over non‐exposed sterile males, although at younger ages they were still less competitive than wild males. The interaction of sugar–yeast hydrolysate diet and ME as pre‐release treatments for 2‐ and 3‐day‐old sterile males was assessed in terms of male sexual competitiveness. Overall, the combination showed an additive effect on increased mating success in B. dorsalis sterile males when competing a wild males for wild females, while in B. correcta males the drastic improvement in mating success was mainly linked to the ME exposure.