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Iron Absorption from Iron‐enriched Aspergillus oryzae is Similar to Ferrous Sulfate in Humans
Author(s) -
Reddy Manju B.,
Armah Seth M.,
Stewart Jeanne,
Bian Yilin,
Bries Amanda,
O'Brien Kimberly O.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.31.1_supplement.459.1
Subject(s) - ferrous , aspergillus oryzae , ferritin , food science , chemistry , anemia , meal , iron deficiency , sulfate , biochemistry , medicine , organic chemistry , fermentation
Iron deficiency anemia is the most common nutritional disorder in infants, children and young women – particularly in developing countries. Due to the problems associated with inorganic iron both as a supplement and fortificant, significant efforts have been made in finding effective alternatives. Though fortification is a sustainable strategy in reducing the incidence of anemia, challenges arise as highly absorbable iron compounds can cause undesirable sensory changes to the food matrix, whereas those iron compounds resulting in fewer sensory changes have low absorption. Our objective was to compare iron absorption from iron‐enriched Aspergillus oryzae, Aspiron TM , (ASP) with ferrous sulfate by using stable isotope methodology in humans. ASP is a natural free‐flowing powder of inactive fungal biomass containing 6–8% elemental iron produced by Cura Global Health, Inc. using a proprietary technology. ASP was intrinsically labelled by growing it in iron‐enriched media containing 58 FeSO 4 and the ferrous sulfate was labeled with 57 Fe. Sixteen female subjects (18–35 y), non‐pregnant and non‐anemic with ferritin concentration of <40ug/L were recruited in this study. Subjects were randomized to consume test meals (semi‐purified meal that was used in several earlier studies) with stable iron isotopes on two consecutive days. Each meal contained 10 mg iron as 57 FeSO 4 form or 2 mg 58 Fe plus 8 mg natural abundance iron in ASP form. At the beginning of the study, C‐reactive protein, hepcidin, and ferritin concentrations were measured. Iron absorption was assessed by measuring isotope enrichment in blood after 14 days of feeding. The 12% difference in absorption between 57 Fe (17.18 ± 14.2%) and 58 Fe (15.14 ± 12.3%) was not statistically significant. Iron absorption from both ferrous sulfate and ASP was inversely correlated with serum ferritin (R 2 =0.53, p<0.002; R 2 =0.58, p<0.0005, respectively) as well as with hepcidin (R 2 =0.30, p<0.05; R 2 =0.31, p<0.05, respectively) suggesting that the absorption of ASP is regulated similarly to ferrous sulfate. In conclusion, ASP has the potential to be used as a fortificant, which can offer high bioavailability and may cause less organoleptic changes due to its limited solubility. Future studies are needed to assess its effectiveness in high phytate and high polyphenol containing meals. Support or Funding Information Cura Global Health, Inc. Ames, IA