Improving the lives of millions through new double fortification of salt technology.

Micronutrient deficiencies (including iodine and iron deficiency) is a global health problem affecting one third of the world's population. Salt is an ideal carrier for food fortification as it is universally consumed at equal rates, independently of economic status, and it is industrially processed. Addressing iron and iodine deficiencies together is a challenge, due to interaction between iodine and iron, negating the effect of added iodine. This paper explains the development of an improved microencapsulation-based technology to produce iron premix, which, when added to iodized salt, is stable and organoleptically indistinguishable. Ferrous fumarate was extruded, followed by cutting, sieving to achieve a size of 300-710 µm (salt grain size). Agglomerated extrudates were microencapsulated (5% hydroxypropyl methylcellulose and 5% soy stearin) to form iron premix. Microencapsulation ensures that the added micronutrients are stable without interaction or degradation. Double Fortified Salt is formed by blending iron premix with iodized salt (1:200 ratio). This technology was transferred to India for industrial scale-up. The public distribution system was utilized to establish and monitor an efficient distribution network for DFS in a transparent manner. The scale-up process was initially demonstrated in the state of Uttar Pradesh, following its success two more Indian states have started distribution of DFS. At present, the DFS with iron and iodine is reaching 60 million people in India. This important health intervention technology through food fortification has the potential to be scaled globally to ensure a world free from iron deficiency anemia.

Suplementos nutricionales orales a base de nuevos complejos de cobre, magnesio, manganeso y zinc

Suplementos nutricionales orales a base de nuevos complejos de cobre, magnesio, manganeso y zinc Los oligoelementos cobre, magnesio, manganeso y zinc intervienen en numerosos procesos metabólicos, enzimáticos, inmunológicos y tisulares, forman parte estructural de proteínas y pueden participar en la regulación de la expresión genética. La deficiencia de estos elementos esenciales dificulta el apropiado funcionamiento del organismo e induce el desarrollo de diversas enfermedades. Se debe garantizar la incorporación de oligoelementos a través de la dieta; sin embargo, la cantidad suministrada no siempre es suficiente y el uso de suplementos nutricionales convencionales presenta dos problemas; el primero se atribuye a la asociación de los metales a sales inorgánicas que generan una baja absorción e intolerancias a nivel gástrico y el segundo corresponde a las interacciones antagonistas entre diversos metales componentes de la formulación. Como una alternativa a los problemas mencionados, en este trabajo se propone la elaboración de tabletas para la administración oral de nuevos complejos de cobre, zinc, magnesio y manganeso ligados a los aminoácidos glicina y asparagina. En la síntesis de estos complejos, cada ligando se unió a duplas de cationes no antagonistas, se verificó la formación de los complejos por espectroscopía infrarroja, calorimetría de barrido diferencial, análisis termogravimétrico y difracción de rayos X de polvos, y se determinaron los tiempos de desintegración y de disolución in-vitro a las formas farmacéuticas finales.

Oral dietary supplements with copper, magnesium, manganese and zinc-based new complexes Oligoelements such as copper, magnesium, manganese and zinc are involved in several metabolic, enzymatic and immunological processes. They are also important for the integral tissue proteins and could be involved in gene expression regulation. The deficiency of these essential elements hampers the appropriate function of the body and may cause various diseases. Therefore, it is important to guarantee the incorporation of these trace elements in the diet, but the quantity provided is not always adequate for the optimum body performance. Currently, conventional nutritional supplements have two major problems. The first one is attributed to the association of inorganic salts with metals which might cause low absorption and gastric intolerance. The second problem is caused when several metals are present in a formulation which could lead to possible antagonistic interactions. For this reason, this study explores the development of cations (i.e., copper, zinc, magnesium and manganese) and amino acids (i.e., glycine and asparagine) new complexes formulated into compacts for oral administration. In each reaction, ligands were linked to non-antagonistic cation pairs. The complex formation was characterized by infrared spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis and powder X-ray diffraction analyses. Compact disintegration and in-vitro dissolution tests for these complexes were also determined.

[Oral dietary supplements with copper, magnesium, manganese and zinc-based new complexes]. / Suplementos nutricionales orales a base de nuevos complejos de cobre, magnesio, manganeso y zinc.

Oligoelements such as copper, magnesium, manganese and zinc are involved in several metabolic, enzymatic and immunological processes. They are also important for the integral tissue proteins and could be involved in gene expression regulation. The deficiency of these essential elements hampers the appropriate function of the body and may cause various diseases. Therefore, it is important to guarantee the incorporation of these trace elements in the diet, but the quantity provided is not always adequate for the optimum body performance. Currently, conventional nutritional supplements have two major problems. The first one is attributed to the association of inorganic salts with metals which might cause low absorption and gastric intolerance. The second problem is caused when several metals are present in a formulation which could lead to possible antagonistic interactions. For this reason, this study explores the development of cations (i.e., copper, zinc, magnesium and manganese) and amino acids (i.e., glycine and asparagine) new complexes formulated into compacts for oral administration. In each reaction, ligands were linked to non-antagonistic cation pairs. The complex formation was characterized by infrared spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis and powder X-ray diffraction analyses. Compact disintegration and in-vitro dissolution tests for these complexes were also determined.

New food sources of essential trace elements produced by biotechnology facilities.

Population satiety with trace elements (TE) is a problem that is widely discussed in nutrition science. For optimal nutrition, the form of TE eaten in food is very important. Organic forms of TE in nutrition are appropriate as human metabolism has adapted to these kinds of nutrients during species evolution. This is now considered a reason for the beneficial use of biotechnologically produced TE sources in human food. Advanced matrixes for TE incorporation are unicellular organisms such as yeast, lactobacilli and Spirulina. Addition of inorganic salts at certain concentrations into cultivation media enables the mineral ions to incorporate into the microbial biomass. As a consequence, the biomass becomes enriched with organic forms of incorporated TE, which are presented by their complexes with amino acids, proteins and probably lipids and polysaccharides. In addition, a new direction of research has made good advances, in which technology has been developed for production of organic forms of TE through complex formation between transition metals (zinc, copper, manganese, chromium, iron) with amino acids and peptides formed during enzymatic hydrolysis of food protein. This brief review discusses the results demonstrating the advances in the biotechnological production of new TE sources, to obtain food components destined for wide prophylaxis of TE deficiency or for dietary treatment of the adverse consequences of these deficiencies.