Fortification of curry powder with NaFe(111)EDTA in an iron-deficient population: report of a controlled iron-fortification trial

Abstract

A targeted, double-blind controlled iron fortification trial using Fe(111)-EDTA in masala (curry powder) was directed towards an Fe-deficient Indian population for 2 y. The Fe status of the fortified group improved more than that of control subjects. Improvement reached significance over control subjects for females in hemoglobin (p = 0.0005), ferritin (p = 0.0002), and body Fe stores (p = 0.001) and for males in ferritin (p = 0.04). The prevalence of Fe-deficiency anemia (IDA) decreased from 22 to 5% in fortified females. Premenopausal women, multipara women, and women with prolonged menstruation or initial IDA benefitted most from fortification. The mean increase in body Fe stores in females with initial IDA was 9.0 +/- 1.3 mmol, representing an increased absorption of 12 mumol/d. Fortified subjects with normal Fe status did not accumulate excessive body Fe and there was no alteration in serum Zn concentrations. Targeted fortification is a safe and effective means of combatting Fe deficiency.

Sodium pyrophosphate enhances iron bioavailability from bouillon cubes fortified with ferric pyrophosphate

“…Isotopically labelled 54 FeSO 4 (monohydrate crystals) and 57 FePP with a volume-weighed mean diameter D [4,3] of 18·1 µm and a surface-weighed mean diameter D [3,2] of 14·6 µm were prepared in powder form by Paul Lohmann GmbH from isotopically enriched elemental Fe ( 54 Fe-metal: 99·7 % enriched; 57 Fe-metal: 96·7 % enriched; all Chemgas). Bouillon cubes were prepared from the ingredients as in the equivalent commercial product (salt, sugars, starch, vegetable fats, herbs and spices) using a dry-blending protocol at 300 g scale.…”

“…Food fortification is regarded as a safe and cost-effective approach to counteract and prevent ID as long as the targeted populations consume significant quantities of industrially manufactured fortified foods (2) . Condiments are promising vehicles for fortification as they are among the very few regularly purchased food items in resource-poor areas (3) , and Fe-fortified condiments have been shown to be efficacious in improving Fe status (4)(5)(6)(7) .Bouillon cubes are a promising vehicle for Fe fortification, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa where previous national surveys have reported a high proportion of Burkinabe, Cameroonian, Nigerian, Senegalese and Ivorian women (79-96 %) who consumed bouillon cubes regularly (8)(9)(10) . However, ensuring the bioavailability of Fe and the stability of the cubes in these climates is challenging.…”

“…Food fortification is regarded as a safe and cost-effective approach to counteract and prevent ID as long as the targeted populations consume significant quantities of industrially manufactured fortified foods (2) . Condiments are promising vehicles for fortification as they are among the very few regularly purchased food items in resource-poor areas (3) , and Fe-fortified condiments have been shown to be efficacious in improving Fe status (4)(5)(6)(7) .…”

“…Ferric pyrophosphate (FePP) is a poorly watersoluble Fe compound that is white and minimally affects sensory properties of fortified foods; its addition to food vehicles produces negligible colour change (13) . However, FePP in general is less than half as well absorbed as FeSO 4 in humans (14,15) . Nevertheless, the efficacy of FePP to reduce anaemia or ID has been shown in several randomised controlled trials (3,6,(16)(17)(18) .…”

The importance of bioavailability of dietary iron in relation to the expected effect from iron fortification

“…On the other hand, successful iron fortification interventions have been conducted in Morocco (Zimmermann et al, 2004), Vietnam (Thuy et al, 2003;Van Thuy et al, 2005), Chile (Hertrampf et al, 1990;Walter et al, 1993), Ghana (Lartey et al, 1999), Venezuela (Layrisse et al, 1996), Guatemala (Viteri et al, 1995) and India (Ballot et al, 1989). However, with a few exceptions the majority of these successful interventions have actually also included encapsulation (Zimmermann et al, 2004) or dietary bioavailability improvements, in the form of ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA) (Ballot et al, 1989;Viteri et al, 1995;Thuy et al, 2003;Van Thuy et al, 2005), fish powder (Lartey et al, 1999) or/and ascorbic acid (Hertrampf et al, 1990;Walter et al, 1993) as well. This makes the interpretation of the effects of the iron fortification alone difficult.…”