Mit Develops Iron-Iodine Particles, Could Be Used To Fortify Food And Beverages To Help Fight Malnutrition

Mit Develops Iron-Iodine Particles, Could Be Used To Fortify Food And Beverages To Help Fight Malnutrition

Mit Develops Iron-Iodine Particles, Could Be Used To Fortify Food And Beverages To Help Fight Malnutrition Chemists at MIT have discovered a way to fortify iodine salt with iron, resulting in a product that, if made widely available, could combat one of the world’s most prevalent nutrient deficiencies. A bout 2 billion people suffer from iron deficiency, which can lead to anemia, impaired brain development in children, and increased infant mortality. The richest sources are all animal foods, which tend to be more expensive and less available. Plant sources are more difficult to absorb, and many plants contain phytates that block iron absorption altogether. Challenges with fortifying food staples have long existed with iron, not least because what might be a stable in Papua New Guinea is not a stable in the southern United States. Attempting to grapple with the problem, MIT researchers have come up with a new way to fortify foods and beverages with iron using small crystalline particles. T…