Great question Don. On Fri, Jan 2, 2026 at 10:33 AM Don Osborn <[email protected]> wrote:
> Happy New Year 2026 to all! > > Here's something I'm looking into today. California law AB 1830 took > effect yesterday (1/1/26) and requires processors of corn masa flour (which > is used for tortillas, for example) to fortify their products with folic > acid. This is a key nutrient missing from this staple, and diets deficient > in this nutrient in pregnant women can lead to birth defects. > > Folic acid fortification was already mandated by the FDA for enriched > wheat, rice, and corn flour, but not masa. So this CA law extends benefits > to largely Hispanic populations that use a lot of masa. See > https://www.supermarketperimeter.com/articles/13589-california-law-for-folic-acid-fortification-in-corn-masa-goes-into-effect > > So here's the question I have: Could sufficient levels of folic acid in > masa be achieved by mixing in a certain percentage of a millet flour, while > not greatly changing the character or palatability of the masa? > > When Hector Williams-Alanís wrote about millets in Mexico, he noted small > millet (species not specified) worked well at 1:9 proportions in tortillas, > and even at 100%. > https://lists.millets2023.space/archives/list/[email protected]/message/5FBZGXF5IF42DYH4NKFZFCW7NGB5PI7W/ > > Folic acid levels in masa now required by the CA law are 0.7 mg / lb.for > dry masa, and 0.4 mg / lb for wet masa. > > Folic acid levels vary among millets, and varieties of any given millet. > From a quick search, it looks like millets in general have higher levels of > this than corn, and foxtail and pearl millets tend to be the highest. > > One research article on foxtail millet showed: "When N (N+) was supplied, > the folate levels of 29 foxtail millet cultivars ranged from 42.36 ± 2.91 > to 72.89 ± 0.50 μg per 100 g grains and 42.84 ± 1.60 to 69.20 ± 2.13 μg per > 100 g grains for 2020 and 2021, respectively..."/* The highest level showed > in this research would be the equivalent to.0.33 mg / lb > > So, if my math is correct, mixing any millet flour into masa does not > appear likely to reach the folic acid levels required by Calif. AB 1830. > I'd be pleased to be proven incorrect on this .... > > > Don Osborn, PhD > (East Lansing, MI, US) > North American Millets Alliance > > Note: > * Wang Y, Wang JS, Dong EW, Liu QX, Wang LG, Chen EY, Jiao XY, Diao XM. > "Foxtail millet [*Setaria italica* (L.) P. Beauv.] grown under nitrogen > deficiency exhibits a lower folate contents." Frontiers in Nutrition 2023 > Jan 18;10:1035739. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2023.1035739. PMID: 36742438; PMCID: > PMC9889834. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9889834/ > > -- Collab mailing list -- [email protected] To unsubscribe send an email to [email protected]
