Aruna Narayanan et al./ Elixir Food Science 66 (2014) 20717-20720 20717 Introduction Food security is often conceptualized in the context of food energy or calorie intake. However, it is increasingly recognized that a large segment of the world’s population especially in developing countries are consuming food that is deficient in micronutrients like vitamin A and iron etc.(Vaclavik and Christian, 2008). The manifestations of such micronutrients deficiencies are vitamin A deficiency syndrome, night blindness, xerophthalmia, anemia, goiter etc. In communities living in developing countries, prevalence of poor diet and infectious disease unite into a vicious circle. Moreover, they are most important risk factors for illness and death, affecting millions of pregnant women (Muller and Krawinkel, 2005). Diet based strategies are considered to be one of the most efficient and sustainable ways to overcome iron and vitamin A deficiencies. Fortification of bakery products is given priority in recent times as more number of bakery items are liked and consumed by quite a number of people. Cake is an ideal vehicle for fortification as it is a popular snack or dessert of all age groups especially children and adolescents. As cakes are soft in texture it is suitable for old people to consume without any difficulty of chewing. Cakes are fun to eat and are consumed in events such as social gatherings, party, seminar, or during a family gathering as they have better appeal, taste, satiety and convenience, however they are low in micronutrient content but high in fat. Hence, fortification using locally available under exploited yet nutritionally rich food is a good means of enhancing the micronutrient content of cakes. Materials and methods A questionnaire was formulated and given to Adult volunteers of age group of 20-35 years to know the consumer preference in cakes. Lotus stem (Nelumbium nelumbo ) and Carrot (Daucus carota) were chosen as food fortificants for iron and  carotene respectively. Lotus stem was purchased from a village called Kadathampatty near Pudukottai and carrots were procured freshly from the local market. After preliminary preparations the edible portions of lotus stem was cut into fine round shaped pieces and the edible portions of carrots were sliced, blanched for two to seven minutes using hot water to inactivate the native enzymes and cooled. Both the fortificants were dehydrated by oven drying, and were ground into powder (plate 1 and 2) and stored in High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) covers for further use. Proximate analysis of moisture, ash, iron , crude fibre and protein were estimated according to the methods prescribed in NIN(2003).  carotene and vitamin C were determined using standard procedures by Ranganna (2008) for the prepared fortificants. Plate 1 Plate 2 Lotus stem powder carrot powder Product development Lotus stem powder and carrot powder were incorporated at three levels viz 15 20 and 25 percent in both chocolate cake (LSCK) and orange cake (CAOR). A standard chocolate and orange cake were prepared as control as per the standard Consumer preference on cakes, acceptability and nutritional evaluation of food fortified cakes Aruna Narayanan* and S.Sowmiya Department of Nutrition & Dietetics, PSG College of Arts & Science, Coimbatore. ABSTRACT Micronutrient malnutrition affects almost two billion people worldwide and food fortification is considered as a major cost effective and sustainable solution. To enhance the micronutrient content of cakes by food fortification using locally available under exploited but nutritionally rich indigenous food fortificants. Lotus stem and Carrots were chosen as food fortificants. The nutrient analysis of the fortificants was carried out. Lotus stem powder (LS) and carrot powder (CA) were incorporated individually (15, 20 and 25 percent) as well as in mixed form(MF) (2:1, 1:1, 1:2.) in Chocolate(CH) and Orange cake(OR) and the highly acceptable cakes were analyzed for iron,  carotene and quality parameters. Lotus stem powder had iron(80mg/100g), carotene (543 μg/100g) and fibre(31.6 g/100g).Carrot powder had iron(5 mg/100g), carotene(6875 μg/100g) and fibre(1.46g/100g).Among all the variations LSCK 2 (84.5 percent), CAOR 1 (84 percent) MFCK 1 (88 percent) and MFOR 1 (87.3 percent) cakes were highly acceptable.LSCK 2 had the highest iron content (12.50mg/100g) and CAOR 1 (760μg/100g) had highest  carotene content. Total solids were above the standard value of 60 percent. pH of MFCK 1 and MFOR 1 were 6.2.The microbial count of the cakes was found to be within the satisfactory limit. Conclusion: Fortification of cakes is a possible venture to alleviate micronutrient malnutrition in people. © 2014 Elixir All rights reserved ARTICLE INFO Article history: Received: 23 November 2013; Received in revised form: 25 November 2013; Accepted: 13 January 2014; Keywords Micronutrient, Fortified Cakes, Lotus stem, Carrots. Elixir Food Science 66 (2014) 20717-20720 Food Science Available online at www.elixirpublishers.com (Elixir International Journal) Tele: E-mail addresses: arunarayanan_1959@yahoo.com © 2014 Elixir All rights reserved