Study of the applicability of iron (III) oxo-hydroxide nanoparticles as an alternative of a milk iron-enriched using in vitro bioavailability

Abstract

Among the micronutrients, the deficiency of bioavailable iron (Fe) intake is the most critical, affecting mainly women and children. For this reason, in Brazil, wheat and corn flours are fortified with Fe compounds. However, for other important foods, such as dairy foods, the fortification with these compounds is not adequate due to the low bioavailability of Fe and the instability of inorganic species in the milk matrix. Among the fortifying already studied, one of the most promising is the nanoparticle (NP) of Fe(III) oxo-hydroxide, due to its structure similar to that of ferritin as well as its size, which would facilitate absorption. However, in vitro bioaccessibility and bioavailability studies have not yet been applied and are necessary to establish the real benefit and/or harm of using these NPs as fortifying. Thus, this project aims to study the applicability of Fe(III) oxo-hydroxide NPs as an alternative of Fe fortifying for milk. Fortified milk samples (whole, skimmed, lactose free) will be subjected to stability, in vitro digestion and intestinal absorption tests using Caco-2 cells. The iron species will be monitored by liquid chromatography and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (HPLC-ICP-MS), in order to understand the Fe biotransformation. To enable the monitoring of Fe species, NPs will be synthesized using a stable iron isotope to differentiate endogenous Fe from the Fe from NPs, combined with the mathematical technique of isotope pattern deconvolution. With these studies, it is expected to understand the digestibility and absorption of Fe when administered in the form of NPs. (AU)