Vitamin A deficiency is an important public health problem, and one of the most susceptible human groups to this deficiency are children at preschool age. There are intervention measures that can be adopted as a way to prevent or reduce this disease, and food fortification is one of them. The objectives of this study were to produce a tomato paste with natural sources of pro-vitamin A carotenoids from different concentrations of carrot juice, characterize these products in relation to microbiological security (lactic acid bacteria, yeasts and molds, butyric clostridia and thermophilic "flat-sour"), physic-chemical analysis (pH, soluble solids and carotenoids) and sensorial analysis (hedonic scale with acceptance test and purchase intent). The results showed that all the formulations were approved in the microbiological test during 90 days of storage. The physical-chemical analysis showed a significant increase in the pH of the three formulations, while the soluble solids remained unchanged during the three months in each of these products. Despite the significant degradation over time, the increase in the content of carotenoids in the tomato paste with carrot juice was possible in these formulations. Moreover, these formulations were characterized as good by sensorial assessors. Considering the content of carotenoids found and sensorial impression, these formulations can be a strategy to prevent or reduce the vitamin A deficiency.
health; carotenoids; vitamin A
