Efficiency of novel iron microencapsulation techniques: fortification of milk

Production and Evaluation of Encapsulated Zinc Oxide on Performance, Ileal Digestibility and Zinc Transporter Gene Expression in Broiler Chicken

The present study was undertaken for the production of encapsulated zinc and its evaluation in broiler chicken diet. The process of microencapsulation involved the use of polymers, gum arabic and maltodextrin with a maximum encapsulation of efficiency of 66%. Encapsulated material contained about 20% zinc oxide (ZnO) as core material following the freeze-drying process. One hundred and ninety-two-day-old broiler chicks were distributed in four groups in six replications having eight birds in each. The four groups comprised control (inorganic source of zinc), En-Zn-100 (encapsulated zinc at 100% of control), En-Zn-50 (encapsulated zinc at 50% of control), and Org-Zn-50 (Zn-methionine at 50% of control). The experiment was carried out for 35 days following standard management practices. The live weight gain, feed intake and FCR were comparable among groups. Plasma and muscle zinc (ppm) content was unaffected by the level or source of zinc supplementation. The zinc apparent ileal digestibility coefficient was significantly (P < 0.05) higher in En-Zn-50 fed groups, while crude protein digestibility was not affected by the level or form of Zn supplementation. Bone weight, length, and zinc content were comparable, and bone ash content was significantly different among the groups. Relative expression of ZnT2 was significantly upregulated in encapsulated zinc-fed groups. From the study, it could be concluded that supplementation of zinc either as encapsulated or organic form at 50% of inorganic source (ZnO) could be sufficient to maintain the growth performance, serum, tissue and bone mineral content in broiler chicken.

Tolerability of Oral Supplementation with Microencapsulated Ferric Saccharate Compared to Ferrous Sulphate in Healthy Premenopausal Woman: A Crossover, Randomized, Double-Blind Clinical Trial

A single-center, crossover, randomized, double-blind, and controlled clinical study was conducted to assess the tolerability profile, especially with regard to gastrointestinal complaints, of oral supplementation with AB-Fortis^®, a microencapsulated ferric saccharate (MFS), as compared with conventional ferrous sulphate (FS) in healthy premenopausal women. A dose of 60 mg/day of elemental iron was used. The test products were administered for 14 consecutive days with a washout period of two menstrual episodes and a minimum of one month between the two intervention periods. The subjects completed simple-to-answer questionnaires daily for 14 days during both the intervention and the washout periods, capturing the symptoms associated with oral iron supplementation and overall health aspects. Following product consumption, the incidences of symptoms, numbers of complaints/symptoms, overall intensity, and total days with symptoms were found to be significantly higher for FS consumption as compared to MFS. The better tolerability profile of MFS over FS was further substantiated when both products were compared to a real-life setting (i.e., the washout period). Overall, the administration of both study products was safe with no serious or significant adverse events reported. In summary, the current study shows the better tolerability of the MFS preparation when compared to that of the FS, presenting MFS as a well-tolerated and safe option for improving iron nutrition.

Heme iron fortified flavored milk: quality and sensory analysis

Abstract The fortification of dairy beverages is a widely developed strategy using non-heme or heme iron. Heme iron has a higher bioavailability. The investigation aimed to elaborate pasteurized milk with fortified chocolate flavor with heme iron that has good sensory acceptability. The preparation of the flavored milk was carried out based on the regulations and heme iron, obtained from a commercial source of whole blood of porcine origin, was added before the pasteurization process to achieve its complete dilution. The concentration of iron and chocolate flavoring was established as variables in order to evaluate the optimal formulation based on Sensory Acceptability (SA). The experimental design was a 32 factorial design in which eight formulations were established, which were sensory acceptability evaluated by a total of 35 school-age children, aged between 8 and 11 years using a five-point facial hedonic scale. The results of the analysis of variance and optimization of the response showed that SA was 4.71 (on a scale of 1 to 5) for a fortification of 6.76 mg Fe kg-1 sample and a chocolate concentration of 2.0 g kg-1 sample. The physicochemical characterization indicated a higher percentage of carbohydrates, a higher concentration of iron (9.3 mg Fe kg-1 sample) and vitamin C (349.0 mg kg-1 sample) with respect to fresh milk. According to the physicochemical and microbiological results, the approximate life time of the beverage was 5 days, which is in accordance with Peruvian regulations. These results showed a method of fortification of flavored milk that allowed the use of heme iron, whose content could contribute to the daily requirement of this mineral in children aged between 8 and 11 years old (8 mg of iron per day).

Nano-encapsulated Iron and Folic Acid-Fortified Functional Yogurt Enhance Anemia in Albino Rats

Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) is a major health concern in developing countries, and these see an increased incidence in pregnant women and children in particular. The contribution of dairy products as natural products in drug delivery approaches is inspiring. This study aimed to analyze the application of iron (Fe) and folic acid (FA) bovine serum albumin-nanoparticles (BSA-NPs) as anti-anemic pharmacological agents that fortify stirred functional yogurt (SFY), comparing these with a plain control and SFY fortified with Fe and FA in free forms. The physicochemical, cytotoxicity, microbiological, viscosity, oxidative interactions, microstructural, sensorial analyses, and bioavailability properties of IDA-induced Albino rats were examined. The Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM), Zetasizer, and Scan Electron Microscope (SEM) were applied. Nanocapsule-fortified SFY showed an enhanced apparent viscosity, water-holding capacity, microstructure, least lipid oxidation, and overall sensorial acceptability. Feed that included Fe + FA nanocapsule-fortified SFY (G6) succeeded in restoring hemoglobin (16.53 gdL-1), iron (109.25 μgdL-1), ferritin (33.25 μgdL-1), and total protein (8.6 gdL-1) at the end of the 4-week feeding period, with significant competition revealed in calcium and zinc absorbance. Nanocapsule-fortified SFY showed no adverse effects or architectural alterations in the liver, kidney, or spleen, as indicated by biochemical and histological examinations. Bovine serum albumin-nanoparticles (BSA-NPs) of iron (Fe) and folic acid (FA) can be recommended as anti-anemia supplements in different functional food applications.

Nutraceutical nanodelivery; an insight into the bioaccessibility/bioavailability of different bioactive compounds loaded within nanocarriers

Nanofoods is a current concept that is based on the application of nanotechnologies in the preparation of safe foods, with superior nutritional and sensory characteristics, and capable of providing multiple health benefits. In line with the principles of this concept, food scientists have focused on developing new types of nano biosystems that can contribute to increasing the bioavailability of bioactive compounds used in food fortification. Numerous research teams have investigated the main factors limiting oral bioavailability including: bioaccessibility, absorption and transformation of bioactive compounds and bioactive-loaded nanocarriers. The physicochemical processes involved in the factors limiting oral bioavailability have been extensively studied, such asthe release, solubility and interaction of bioactive compounds and nanocarriers during food digestion, transport mechanisms of bioactive compounds and nanoparticles through intestinal epithelial cells as well as the chemical and biochemical transformations in phase I and phase II reactions. In this comprehensive review, the physicochemical processes involved in the bioaccessibility/bioavailability of different encapsulated bioactive compounds, that play an important role in human health, will be explained including polyphenols, phytosterols, carotenoids, vitamins and minerals. In particular, the mechanisms involved in the cellular uptake of bioactive-loaded nanocarriers including transcellular transport (diffusion, endocytosis, pinocytosis, transcytosis, phagocytosis), paracellular transport (through the "tight junctions" between epithelial cells), and the active transport of bioactive compounds under the action of membrane transporters are highlighted.

Advances in Nanoliposomes Production for Ferrous Sulfate Delivery

In this study, a continuous bench scale apparatus based on microfluidic fluid dynamic principles was used in the production of ferrous sulfate-nanoliposomes for pharmaceutical/nutraceutical applications, optimizing their formulation with respect to the products already present on the market. After an evaluation of its fluid dynamic nature, the simil-microfluidic (SMF) apparatus was first used to study the effects of the adopted process parameters on vesicles dimensional features by using ultrasonic energy to enhance liposomes homogenization. Subsequently, iron-nanoliposomes were produced at different weight ratios of ferrous sulfate to the total formulation components (0.06, 0.035, 0.02, and 0.01 w/w) achieving, by using the 0.01 w/w, vesicles of about 80 nm, with an encapsulation efficiency higher than 97%, an optimal short- and long-term stability, and an excellent bioavailability in Caco-2 cell line. Moreover, a comparison realized between the SMF method and two more conventional production techniques showed that by using the SMF setup the process time was drastically reduced, and the process yield increased, achieving a massive nanoliposomes production. Finally, duty-cycle sonication was detected to be a scalable technique for vesicles homogenization.

Oxidative stability of emulsions fortified with iron: the role of liposomal phospholipids

BACKGROUND

Interest in supplementing food with iron to counteract dietary deficiencies has been on the rise in recent years. A major challenge is the pro-oxidant activity of soluble iron, which compromises the chemical stability of the enriched food products. This problem could be mitigated by encapsulating iron, to physically keep it separated from oxidizable substrates, such as unsaturated fatty acids. In the present work, the physical and chemical stability of surfactant- or protein-stabilized oil-in-water emulsions fortified with iron was investigated.

RESULTS

Iron (ferrous sulfate) was successfully incorporated in liposomes at high encapsulation efficiency (89%). The liposomes obtained were added to emulsions stabilized with either Tween 20 or whey protein isolate (WPI), and its oxidative stability was monitored and compared with emulsions with free iron. Tween 20-stabilized emulsions were more stable against oxidation than WPI-stabilized emulsions, and furthermore lipid oxidation was substantially higher in emulsions containing iron (either free, or encapsulated in liposomes) than in blank emulsions. This shows that liposomal encapsulation did not inhibit the pro-oxidant activity of iron.

CONCLUSION

Despite the high encapsulation efficiency of iron in our liposomes, these systems are not suitable to supplement model foods with iron because of the associated deleterious chemical reactivity. This is most probably due to the phospholipids used as encapsulation material being prone to oxidation, which may actively contribute to the oxidative process. These aspects are normally not taken into account but we showed that they are of utmost importance, and should be taken as a starting point in the design of delivery systems. © 2018 The Authors. Journal of The Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.