This invention relates to a nutritious, multiple micronutrient fortified, protein rich product to meet the nutritional requirements of vulnerable groups like adolescent girls, pregnant and lactating women and a
process for manufacture thereof.

The category of population mentioned as vulnerable group, have special, specific and increased requirements for nutrients like calcium, iron, vitamins A, Thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, folic acid and vitamin B12 due to accelerated growth, hormonal changes, physiological changes and the additional requirements of fetus and new born baby. In India, due to economic conditions, lack of awareness and dietary pattern, this group was mostly found to be deficient in these nutrients. This was identified as a major set back and to combat this maternal and child malnutrition, Ministry of Women and Child Development, Government of India, has issued a Directive to all state ICDS Directors on fortification levels of micro nutrients (vitamins and minerals) for supplementary foods. As per this directive, supplementary foods should be' fortified with essential micronutrients (energy and protein excluded) with 50% of RDA level per beneficiary per day.

Biscuits, are products generally made with refined wheat flour, sugar and fat that would have a protein content of around 7 - 9g per 100g finished product. Fortification of biscuits with vitamins and minerals at high levels would affect the taste, appearance and shelf life characteristics. Hence, to maintain the good taste that is to be acceptable to consumer, normally biscuits, if when fortified, are fortified with only very low levels of vitamins or minerals. Moreover, while vitamins are generally destroyed by heat, they are much more destroyed by moist heat, which makes this incorporation and retention through the shelf life of vitamins at high levels in biscuits as a challenge. Increasing the protein content of biscuits from the naturally present level is also equally difficult as incorporation of any source of protein would make the biscuits unacceptable in terms of its taste, flavour, mouth feel and bite characteristics.

This supplementary product, which is a biscuit, will have following nutritional characteristics and five biscuits (weighing 50 - 52g) would be able to meet 50 ±10% of the required RDA for the vulnerable groups - adolescent girls, pregnant women and lactating mothers.

The supplementary food product proposed here is a baked food product and one of its preferred forms is BISCUIT. The process for the manufacture of a multiple micronutrient fortified, protein rich product according to this invention, comprises of mixing vitamin premix with wheat flour, a creaming stage, a dough making stage, addition of vitamin premix mixed with wheat flour, and baking stage, such as
described here in, to obtain a formulation with nutritional characteristics as mentioned here in.

A general description of the process proposed herein is given below followed by a process flow chart given as an example for carrying out the process, by way of illustration and not by way of limitation.

Wheat flour is mixed with requisite quantity (50 - 150g depending on the batch size) of vitamin premix.

In a separate dough mixer, preparation of the dough is taken up through a three stage mixing:

1. Creaming stage: Where in sugar 15 - 25%, defatted soya flour, (a source of protein) 10 - 20% are added along with other ingredients like oil (15 - 25%), sweetened condensed milk (2 - 6%), invert syrup & liquid glucose (2 - 7%), edible starch (0.5 - 1.0%), emulsifiers (0.5 - 3%), salt, iron (0.05 - 1.5%) and calcium salts, (as nutrients) (0.5 - 2.0%), flavour and mixed at RPM >30 followed by leavening agents dissolved in water and mixed at a speed > 30 RPM speed for 2 minutes to 20 minutes.

2. Dough making stage: Wheat flour is added and mixed at RPM below 50 for a minute followed by dough conditioner and further mixed at RPM <50 for 7.5 minutes to 30 minutes.

3. Addition of vitamin premix mixed with wheat flour: Mixture made out vitamin premix and wheat flour is added at the end of this mixing and mixed at RPM below 50 for a minute or two. This prevents interaction of dough conditioner with vitamin premix and there by helps in retention of vitamins.

PROCESS FLOW CHART PREPARATION OF MIXTURE:

0.04% of vitamin premix is mixed with wheat flour in a separate blender for 1-10 minutes. THIS IS MIXTURE "A".

CREAMING STAGE: 21% sugar, 18.0% palm oil, 14% defatted soya flour, 2% liquid glucose + invert syrup, 0.65% emulsifiers, 0.7% condensed milk, 0.9% edible corn starch, salt, flavour are mixed at 40 rpm. Leavening Agents dissolved in water is mixed at high speed for 5 - 7 minutes.

DOUGH MAKING STAGE: Wheat flour followed by Acidulant (Sodium acid pyrophosphate) are added and mixed.

ADDITION OF MIXTURE "A": Mixture of vitamin premix with wheat flour is added and mixed for a minute or two. Formed dough is then baked.

The terms and expressions in this specification are of description and not of limitation, as such terms and expression do not, and are not intended to, exclude any equivalents of the features of this invention illustrated and described, but various other modes of carrying out the process herein are possible without departing from the scope and ambit of this invention.

We Claim:

1. A process for the manufacture of multiple micronutrients fortified, protein rich, healthy supplementary biscuit comprising the steps of preparing a premix of wheat flour with vitamins and mineral (50 - 150g); preparing dough in a separate dough mixer, through a three stage mixing, namely, (i) creaming stage wherein sugar 15 - 25%, defatted soya flour, (a source of protein) 10 - 20% are added along with oil (15 - 25%), sweetened condensed milk (2 - 6%), invert syrup & liquid glucose (2 - 7%), edible starch (0.5 - 1.0%), emulsifiers (0.5- 3%), salt, iron (0.05 - 1.5%) and calcium salts (as nutrients) (0.5 - 2.0%), flavour and mixed at RPM >30 followed by leavening agents dissolved in water and mixed at a speed > 30 RPM speed for 2 minutes to 20 minutes; (ii) dough making stage wherein wheat flour is added and mixed at RPM below 50 for a minute followed by dough conditioner and further mixed at RPM <50 for 7.5 minutes to 30 minutes; (iii) addition of the said premix thereafter and mixing the same at RPM below 50 for less than two minutes for enabling optimum retention of vitamins; and baking the resulting mix to obtain biscuits.

2. A process for the manufacture of multiple micronutrients fortified, protein rich, healthy supplementary biscuit substantially as herein described with reference to, and as ikllustratyed by, the flow chart.

3. A multiple micronutrients fortified, protein rich, healthy supplementary biscuit whenever manufactured by a process as claimed in any one of the preceding Claims.