PROTOTYPE OF VIETNAMESE TAMARIND FISH SAUCE FORTIFIED WITH IRON, ZINC AND VITAMIN A

Fortification with iron, zinc and vitamin A of Vietnamese tamarind fish sauce has been studied. The Vietnamese tamarind fish sauce formula consisted of 42% of slurry, 37% of sugar and 21% of fish sauce, and was fortified with 36 mg of iron (Fe), 15 mg of zinc (Zn) and 10000 IU of vitamin A palmitate per 30 g of sauce. The sauce is acidic food with pH of 3.21, the total titratable acidity of 29.63% and the water activity of 0.87. The viscosity of fortified sauce was 777 cP and it was characterized by non-Newtonian behavior. The color coordinates L*, a* and b* were 20.71, 11.46 and 23.42, respectively, which was lower than those of traditional sauce. After pasteurization, the iron, zinc and vitamin A contents were reduced to 30.73 mg, 14.21 mg and 7306 IU per 30 g, respectively, while otherwise the physical and chemical quality did not significantly change. The sensory scores of the pasteurized and fortified sauce were slightly lower than that of the sauce before pasteurization or of traditional sauce, but without a significant difference.