In this episode of Nutrition Asia, Nestlé and Wellnex Life discussed how the iron nutrition industry could advance by using a new source of iron, as well as using encapsulation technology to enable slow release iron supplements. in the body.

Wellnex Life, for example, sells its slow-release iron gummies under the brand The Iron Company. Each candy provides 20mg of elemental iron, with ferrous sulfate as the iron source.

According to Wellnex Life CEO George Karafotias, the goal of designing a slow-release iron supplement is to minimize gastric or gastric upset.

It also gives the product a point of difference in the market.

“There are a lot of competitors in this space and producing another normal iron supplement will never cut it and gain traction.​

“This [the slow-release iron gummies] will allow retailers to be able to charge a premium for this product, which increases their margin,”he said.

Nestlé, on the other hand, has launched Nestlé BUNYAD Iron+ for children in Pakistan. It is a powdered dairy drink fortified with a new source of iron more suitable for use in dairy products.

Known as Ferri-Pro, the new source of iron is an iron-casein complex that is three times more absorbed by the body compared to using ferrous sulfate in dairy products.

Ferri-Pro was co-developed by Nestle Research Center and the Riddet Institute at Massey University. The iron bioavailability study on Ferri-Pro was published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.​​

“This is part of our efforts to provide more affordable and nutritious products that help fight micronutrient deficiencies,”​ Petra Klassen Wigger, Global Scientific Advisor Nutrition and Health, Nestlé R&D said, regarding the launch of Nestlé BUNYAD Iron+.

Other nutrients the company has used to fortify foods include iodine, zinc and vitamin A.

“Just to give you an idea of ​​the overall contribution we are making as a company in 2021, we provided over 207 billion servings of food and beverages fortified with at least one of the following micronutrients: iron , iodine, zinc, and vitamin A”, she says.

Besides iron, Nestlé BUNYAD Iron+ also contains vitamin A, C and calcium. The company also offers an online iron meter that allows parents to measure whether their children are getting enough dietary iron.

Watch the video to learn more.