BREAD ENRICHED WITH MICROENCAPSULATED IRON
Is it true that bread enriched with microencapsulated iron can be an alternative to conventional methods to overcome health problems? Assoc. Prof. Eng. Małgorzata Bryszewska, from the Institute of Natural Products and Cosmetics - Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Sciences, Lodz University of Technology, writes on this subject.
Bread enriched with microencapsulated iron may be an alternative to conventional methods of overcoming health problems resulting from deficiency of this nutrient.
In 2013-2015, the Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Sciences of Lodz University of Technology co-implemented the project Innovative biotechnological solutions for the production of new bakery functional foods - BAKE4FUN (7th Framework Programme). It was created in response to the needs of SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises sector), food manufacturers, for innovative recipes and technologies to obtain bakery products with an improved nutritional profile and health-promoting effects, but at the same time without the negative sensory characteristics resulting from the addition of iron.
Bread enriched with microencapsulated iron may be an alternative to conventional methods of overcoming health problems resulting from a deficiency of this nutrient. It is estimated that an insufficient supply of this vital element occurs in up to 2 billion people worldwide, and therefore represents a public health emergency of epidemic proportions. Iron deficiency is the main cause of anaemia, affecting a total of 1.62 billion people worldwide (WHO data, 2015), or almost 1/4 of the entire population.
What do iron deficiencies result from?
Globally, iron deficiencies are primarily due to inadequate food supply. However, in countries with a relatively high food supply, latent deficiencies can be a problem. Women of childbearing age and pregnant women, the elderly, children and adolescents, and people with physical activity, malabsorption or alcohol abuse are all at risk. There are also causes resulting from the use of prophylactic diets that limit overall food intake, exclusion diets (e.g., vegetarian), based only on one specific product group in developed societies.
What effects have the research work carried out under the project brought?
As a result of research works carried out in the course of the project, wheat bread enriched with microencapsulated iron has been obtained. The evaluation of bioavailability and bioavailability of this bioelement from the developed product has demonstrated a positive impact of microencapsulated iron on blood parameters.
Will the project be implemented?
The results of the research have been described in a series of publications [1,2,3] and have given rise to the production of such bread by Nowel Bakery. We will create a product meeting the needs of consumers suffering from iron deficiency, which thanks to the application of encapsulation technology will be characterised by high stability of the bioelement form and increased bioavailability and will constitute a convenient and easily accessible alternative to pharmacological supplementation.
In 2021, Nowel Bakery will attempt to launch baked goods enriched with microencapsulated iron. The introduction of such a product will involve the development of a new production process. The standard technology of bread production will have to take into account the introduction of additives that have so far not been included in the current production process (e.g., the use of spray drying to form a microencapsulated iron). Nowel's business is related to the production of bread for baking. Therefore, in the case of bakery products with microencapsulated iron, it will be necessary to develop a technology that will enable the stability of the iron capsules during the process of deep freezing of the pre-baked product (approximately 70%) and its subsequent baking. It is also worth mentioning that during the development of the bread, particular attention will be paid to ensuring that the remaining properties of the products, i.e., texture, flavour and aroma, are preserved. In this way, it will be possible to break away from the belief that a healthy product cannot be tasty.