What is the process of restoring nutrients removed from food during processing called?

The process of restoring nutrients removed from food during processing is known as enrichment. This practice involves adding back essential vitamins and minerals that may have been lost during the processing stages of food production, ensuring that the nutritional quality of the food is maintained.

Enrichment is particularly important in processed foods, as it helps to counterbalance the potential negative effects of nutrient loss that can occur when foods are stripped of their natural components to prolong shelf life or improve texture and flavor. For example, flour is often enriched with iron and B vitamins after refining, helping to promote public health by addressing common nutrient deficiencies.

While fortification, on the other hand, refers to the addition of nutrients to foods that do not naturally contain them or to increase their levels beyond what is typically found in those foods, enrichment specifically pertains to restoring nutrients that were originally present but removed during processing.