Optimization of the oxidative stability of foods enriched in iron.

Food fortification with iron is very interesting because iron deficiency anemia is a widespread disease, even in developed countries. It is known that heme iron has a higher bioavailability than the non-heme iron forms. Thus, the enrichment with heme iron can have a number of advantages. However, it is known that, similarly to inorganic forms of iron, heme iron also catalyzes lipid oxidation involving a reduction of food shelf life. Therefore, it is necessary to study the strategies that may be useful to prevent the prooxidant effect of this element in foods (addition of antioxidants, iron encapsulation, etc.).

Related projects:

“Development of strategies to increase the stability and shelf life of foods enriched with Fe-heme.”

This project was an initiative launched by a company (APC Europe SA) that produced a concentrate rich in heme iron (AproFER 1000^TM). The interest of the company occurred when they found out that the incorporation of this new ingredient in biscuits, confectionery and bakery products implied a clear reduction in the shelf life of these products due to lipid oxidation.
Later on, the project also received funding from the Reference Network of Food Technology of the Generalitat of Catalonia (XaRTA).This project studied how the prooxidant effect of the heme iron ingredient could be reduced through various strategies (addition of antioxidants and / or heme iron encapsulation). The first models were based on vegetable fats and later they were studied in chocolate cream cookies.

Research Articles

Project Leader:

Francesc Guardiola, PhD