Salt, sugar, and antioxidants are the most common

preservatives
Salt, sugar, and antioxidants are the most common preservatives. Although listed on the labels of
food products by their chemical names, many preservatives are derived from substances that are
normally present in foods; the preservative propionic acid, for example, is a natural component of
cheese.

The practice of enriching foods--either to replenish nutrients destroyed in processing or to add

nutrients--is a source of controversy. Enriched white flour, for instance, has a higher concentration
of B vitamins than original whole grain flour, and the vitamins that have been added may be more
available biologically than certain whole grain nutrients, which are bound to the bran. On the other
hand, processors do not restore vitamin E and some of the trace minerals that were removed along
with the bran, germ, and husk. Opponents of enrichment express concern about overfortification in a
society that no longer suffers from serious nutrients deficiencies. A recent policy statement prepared
by the American Medical Association has defined general guidelines for fortification of processed
foods.

More food value may be lost in the final storage and preparation than during commercial processing
and storage. The practice of keeping foods for prolonged periods and the habit of overcooking are
not unusual in any setting--restaurants, cafeterias, or private homes. Thiamine and ascorbic acid are
highly subject to depletion by home preparation as well as by processing and storage. Minerls,
carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, vitamin K, and niacin, on the other hand, are more stable.
While there is no conclusive evidence that the normal breast-fed infant of a well-nourished mother
needs supplements during the first six months of life, adding vitamins and minerals that are
quantitatively low in breast milk may have a prophylactic value (see "Infants' vitamin and mineral
requirements," page 87). Breast milk supplies only about 2 [mu]g of the 5 [mu]g of vitamin K
required to prevent the neonatal hemorrhage syndrome. Since the newborn has not yet developed
the intestinal flora necessary to synthesize vitamin K, give vitamin K.sub.1 (AquaMEPHYTON,
Konakion) in a single, intramuscular dose of 0.5-1.0 mg at birth.

Breast milk contains small quantities of vitamin D and the more active 25-hydroxy-vitamin D.
Although rickets is uncommon in breast-fed infants, doses of 400 IU/day of vitamin D may be
indicated for the first 2-6 months. The need for vitamin the first 2-6 months. The need for vitamin D
supplementation may be more acute in dark-skinned infants and in those who are infrequently
exposed to light. The small amounts of vitamin C present in human milk are adequate for many
breast-fed children. Supplementary safeguards of 35 mg/day can be given for the first few months.