Development of a Protein Encased Ferrous Fumarate Microcapsule

Many iron fortificants have problems of imparting unacceptable colour and taste to the food product, decreasing the stability and bioavailability of iron. In this study, a novel method of developing a bioavailable iron fortificant is presented. Chelation and encapsulation are used to preserve iron in ferrous state, and also to minimize the unacceptable colour changes imparted by the fortificant in to food. Encapsulation was achieved using isoelectric precipitation of chickpea protein. The particles displayed encapsulation efficiency of 89.9 %, and loading capacity of 7.1 %. The percentage of Fe encapsulated was determined to be 96.1 %. The microcapsules showed efficient release at pH 2, 4, 6 and 8. Over 75.0 % of iron was released at pH 2 within a 5 h period.