IFF announced the company's partnership with the Universidad Católica San Antonio de Murcia (UCAM), to showcase the tolerability of its AB-Fortis iron ingredient. AB-Fortis is an iron salt encapsulated in alginate—a natural seaweed-derived polysaccharide. Per IFF, the AB-Fortis maintains its encapsulation in the stomach to avoid triggering gastrointestinal (GI) discomfort and then releases iron in the intestine for optimal absorption.
The patented technology for the microencapsulated iron, is said to be protected by an organic layer that minimizes the release of free iron into the food and does not produce a metallic taste.
The need for iron supplementation has increased due to the prevalence of certain health conditions and the growing adoption of vegetarian and vegan lifestyles. According to IFF, Iron supplementation compliance can be a challenge due to low bioavailability and its potential side effects, which may include metallic taste and gastrointestinal discomfort.
Ryan Lauchli, global health category manager, IFF Health, stated, “We’re pleased to partner with UCAM in this research to demonstrate that our premium iron ingredient, AB-Fortis has excellent oral tolerability. Iron can be hard to tolerate for many who take supplements, but our natural encapsulation is a great solution for our customers to incorporate into many different dietary supplements and food formats. We are proud to be able to deliver an efficacious ingredient to the industry so consumers can benefit.”
IFF Study
In a study published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences and funded by IFF, results suggest that the consumption of an iron supplement in the formulation of a microencapsulated ferric preparation (MFS) is associated with a better tolerability profile when compared to ferrous sulphate (FS), a commonly used iron supplement. The single-center, crossover, randomized, double-blind, and controlled clinical study investigating the effect of MFS on healthy pre-menopausal women demonstrates that AB-Fortis is very well tolerated, even at a relatively high dose of 60 milligrams of elemental iron.
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