Edible oat protein nanofibrils can combat iron deficiency more effectively

Iron deficiency is widespread globally. Women are particularly affected, with one in five in Europe suffering from iron deficiency. The consequences are anemia, constant fatigue, chronic headaches and a weakened immune system.

Researchers led by ETH professor Raffaele Mezzenga have now developed a new dietary supplement that could efficiently treat iron deficiency and anemia. This development is being co-led by Michael B. Zimmermann, professor emeritus at ETH Zurich. The preparation consists of edible oat protein nanofibrils coated with iron nanoparticles. The corresponding study has just been published in the journal Nature Food.

The new iron compound is not only easy to produce but also extremely effective: the iron it contains is absorbed by the body almost twice as well as iron administered from iron sulfate—the currently most widely used standard for iron supplementation. This is shown by a rigorous clinical study conducted by Mezzenga’s project partners in Thailand. They administered the compound to 52 women aged 18 to 45 who were suffering from anemia due to iron deficiency.

Vegans and vegetarians could benefit

The novel preparation has several advantages. Being based on plant proteins means that it is suitable for vegetarians and vegans. “This is important because they are more likely to suffer from iron deficiency than meat-eaters: the body absorbs iron from animal foods better than iron from plant-based foods,” says ETH professor Mezzenga.

The new compound has further advantages: it is tasteless and colorless, meaning it does not substantially alter a food’s taste or appearance. Iron sulfate, in contrast, gives food a metallic aftertaste.

“Sensory properties play a major role in consumer acceptance of food additives,” says Jiangtao Zhou, the first author of the study and Mezzenga’s former postdoctoral researcher and currently an assistant professor at the National University of Singapore.

The oat protein iron supplement is also very easy to take: it can either be dissolved in water or juice, or added to food in powder form—muesli, for instance.

“However, the clinical study shows that the supplement is best absorbed when it is dissolved in water,” says Mezzenga.

Those with an iron deficiency often take iron in the wrong form

Iron occurs naturally in red meat, lentils and whole grains. Premenopausal women have a particularly high iron requirement of 18 milligrams per day. The daily requirement for men is lower, at 11 milligrams. Nevertheless, around 15% of men also suffer from iron deficiency. To combat this, people resort to iron supplements that the body is often unable to absorb sufficiently and require iron infusions in the case of severe iron deficiency.

Patented technology and potential for further products

The researchers originally used animal proteins to develop their iron supplement process a few years ago; however, the same patent covers all food protein sources, including those that are plant based. It has now been granted in Europe and the U.S..

Mezzenga and his colleagues now hope that the iron-enriched oat protein fibers will soon be able to be used in a variety of ways. “The hurdles for launching a dietary supplement are lower than those for a pharmacological product,” explains the ETH professor, who aims to further develop the technology to combat other deficiencies, such as zinc and selenium.