Iron Bioavailability From Encapsulated Ferrous Sulphate

Salt is one of the very few regularly purchased food item in all socioeconomic classes including poor remote areas with subsistence farming. Therefore, it is a promising vehicle for fortification with micronutrients, such as iodine, iron, vitamin A, to alleviate the burden of micronutrient deficiencies. However, ensuring the bioavailability of iron and the sensory quality in fortified salt is difficult. Water-soluble iron compounds, such as ferrous sulphate FeSO4, are the most bioavailable, but they react with moisture and impurities in salt, and cause unacceptable changes in colour. Encapsulation can reduce iron-mediated colour change in fortified salt without significantly compromise bioavailability. In the present project we aim to investigate the iron bioavailability from salt fortified with FeSO4 using a new encapsulation type based on hyaluronic acid (HA) and a polymer from the eudragit family (EPO).