Paneer mediated whey protein stabilized ascorbic and folic acid coated ferric pyrophosphate nanoparticle to combat anemia

Iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) is indeed a serious global health challenge. Fortifying food with iron compounds is an effective strategy to prevent iron deficiency anemia. The absorption and bioavailability depend on the form of iron and the delivery vehicle used. Water-soluble forms of iron salts are commonly used for food fortification but cause unacceptable color and taste-related changes to the food vehicle and damage the gastrointestinal tract in humans, forcing the subject to abort the treatment. Water-insoluble iron salts, like ferric pyrophosphate, are stable in foods, but their absorption in humans is too low to have nutritional value. Nanonization of iron salt can overcome the sensory and bioavailability issues by improving the surface area of iron compounds that improve solubility in gastric juice and boost their absorption. Nano-sized ferric pyrophosphate was synthesized via straightforward precipitation methods, which were further coated with ascorbic and folic acid and then stabilized with whey protein concentrate. Folic acid is essential for cell formation, and vitamin C is required to absorb iron from the intestinal lumen. The coated particles obtained had a diameter ∼of 121 nm with quasi spherical shape; EDX spectra confirmed that synthesized particles are highly pure. The zeta potential value (close to ±30 mV) indicates the incipient stability of the nanoparticles. TGA analysis curve revealed that nanoparticles are thermostable up to 300°C. Later, coated FPP-NPs fortified with paneer at levels of 10%, 15%, 20%, 25%, and 30%. A sensory study of paneer shows that 25% incorporation of FPP-NPs was acceptable, with a hedonic rating of 8.20 without causing adverse effects. Physical and proximate analyses of fortified paneer have similar characteristics to control. Coated FPP-NPs fortified paneer showed significantly higher (P < 0.05) in-vitro bioaccessibility (63.78%) of iron when compared with control (unfortified) (19.86%) and uncoated FPP-NPs fortified paneer (54.33%). The bioaccessibility of coated FPP-NPs and ferrous sulphate (standard) fortified paneer was almost similar. In brief, the first report on the successful use of coated FPP nanoparticles as fortificants in food could be prescribed for iron deficit and malnourished patients.