To boost nutrition worldwide by increasing iron and zinc absorption for millions of people in developing countries, Cornell’s Department of Food Sciences, in an international, multi-institutional collaborative effort with the University of Oxford, England, will receive a combined $7.6 million in two scholarships from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
One grant will study how encapsulated phytase, a natural enzyme that breaks down phytic acid, can help the human body digest dietary iron and zinc. The other grant will examine how the protein lactoferrin, a new protein found in human and cow’s milk, can help improve intestinal iron absorption while refining the safety of iron fortification.
“Anemia, the lack of iron in human blood, is a serious global public health problem,” he said. Alireza Abbaspourrad, the Youngkeun Joh Associate Professor of Food Chemistry and Ingredient Technology in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. “Anemia affects young children and pregnant women, especially in low- and middle-income countries.”
The World Health Organization estimates that more than 40% of children under 5 years of age and around 40% of pregnant women worldwide are anemic, as a lack of iron in the diet is one of the main causes. from anemia.
“With a vision to reduce malnutrition in children and women in these countries, we will focus on these important innovations to increase the amount of iron and zinc that can be absorbed from the food we eat, which is especially important for the most vulnerable in the world. world. populations,” said Abbaspourrad.
Abbaspourrad is the principal investigator for the $4 million encapsulated phytase grant. He will receive $1.6 million to conduct research and disburse the rest to Oxford University; University of North West South Africa; ETH Zurich, Switzerland; Sight and Life, a humanitarian nutrition think tank; and the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology.
Michael Zimmerman of the University of Oxford is the principal investigator for the $3.6 million lactoferrin research grant. Of that, Oxford will disburse $1.2 million to Cornell and the remaining amount to other outsourced institutions.
In many developing countries, diets are largely grain-based, with foods such as wheat or corn, which have a high amount of phytic acid that inhibits the absorption of critical nutrients within the body.
As the nutritional elements of food break down, the health benefits are lost, according to Younas Dadmohammadi, a research associate at Abbaspourrad Lab.
Minerals such as iron and zinc do not break down, but instead are sequestered by phytate and are not available for absorption.
Cornell researchers hope to develop heat-resistant nanocapsules or microcapsules of phytase that are stable enough to withstand the cooking process and can withstand digestion at gastric pH, to reduce the presence of phytic acid and free iron and zinc for processing. absorption once. inside the body.
The Oxford University team will explore the feasibility of coencapsulating lactoferrin and iron into a thermosetting structure that resists breakdown during cooking. The intent is to release it into the small intestine to maximize absorption and improve safety for gut health.
