Availability of Folic Acid Fortified Corn Masa Products in Selected Areas in the United States

IF 2 4区医学 Q4 DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY

Birth Defects Research Pub Date : 2026-06-17 DOI:10.1002/bdr2.70084

Sharon Bustrak, Juan D. Rodriguez, Lorraine F. Yeung, Gabriella Salazar, Scarlett H. Kim, Dayana Betancourt, Sarah D. Smith, Nesreen Gusbi, Alexandra Simpson, Cara T. Mai

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Objective

To assess the availability of folic acid fortified corn masa (CM) products across selected areas/regions in the United States for neural tube defects (NTD) prevention 8 years after voluntary fortification of CM products was permitted.

Methods

Geographic selection using US census data included areas with majority Hispanic census tracts in California (CA), Georgia, and Texas (TX). A largely rural county in CA, an urban county in TX, and the metropolitan Atlanta area were selected as study sites. Stores selling groceries and snacks in the selected areas were visited and surveyed for CM products. A mobile application was used to record product data, including product identifiers (e.g., brand name, product type) and folic acid information (e.g., presence and amount of folic acid, folic acid graphical design element). Analyses were performed using R studio.

Results

In the 111 stores surveyed, products identified included 50 distinct retail CM flour bags, 178 distinct corn tortilla products, 88 distinct tostada products, and 223 other distinct CM products. Fifty percent of distinct CM flour bags (25/50) were fortified with folic acid. Additionally, 1% (2/178) of tortillas and about 3% (3/88) of tostadas were fortified. No other fortified products were identified.

Conclusion

Almost a decade after voluntary folic acid fortification of CM flour was allowed, very few ready-made CM products assessed in this study were fortified. As states work to initiate changes to increase the availability of fortified products, continued assessment can help monitor the availability of fortified products for NTD prevention.

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叶酸强化玉米玛莎产品在美国选定地区的供应情况。

目的：评估叶酸强化玉米masa （CM）产品在美国选定地区/地区预防神经管缺陷（NTD）的可用性，在自愿强化CM产品被允许8年后。方法：使用美国人口普查数据进行地理选择，包括加利福尼亚州（CA）、佐治亚州和德克萨斯州（TX）西班牙裔人口普查区占多数的地区。加州的一个主要是农村的县，德克萨斯州的一个城市县，以及亚特兰大大都市区被选为研究地点。在选定的地区销售杂货和零食的商店被访问和调查CM产品。使用移动应用程序记录产品数据，包括产品标识符（如品牌名称、产品类型）和叶酸信息（如叶酸的存在和含量、叶酸图形设计元素）。使用R studio进行分析。结果：在调查的111家商店中，确定的产品包括50种不同的零售CM面粉袋，178种不同的玉米玉米粉圆饼产品，88种不同的玉米粉圆饼产品，以及223种不同的CM产品。50%的不同CM面粉袋（25/50）添加了叶酸。此外，1%（2/178）的玉米饼和约3%（3/88）的玉米饼是强化的。没有发现其他强化产品。结论：在允许在面粉中自愿添加叶酸近十年后，本研究中评估的现成的面粉产品很少被强化。随着各国努力开展改革以增加强化产品的可得性，持续的评估有助于监测用于预防非传染性疾病的强化产品的可得性。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Birth Defects Research Medicine-Embryology

CiteScore

3.60

自引率

9.50%

发文量

153

期刊介绍： The journal Birth Defects Research publishes original research and reviews in areas related to the etiology of adverse developmental and reproductive outcome. In particular the journal is devoted to the publication of original scientific research that contributes to the understanding of the biology of embryonic development and the prenatal causative factors and mechanisms leading to adverse pregnancy outcomes, namely structural and functional birth defects, pregnancy loss, postnatal functional defects in the human population, and to the identification of prenatal factors and biological mechanisms that reduce these risks. Adverse reproductive and developmental outcomes may have genetic, environmental, nutritional or epigenetic causes. Accordingly, the journal Birth Defects Research takes an integrated, multidisciplinary approach in its organization and publication strategy. The journal Birth Defects Research contains separate sections for clinical and molecular teratology, developmental and reproductive toxicology, and reviews in developmental biology to acknowledge and accommodate the integrative nature of research in this field. Each section has a dedicated editor who is a leader in his/her field and who has full editorial authority in his/her area.