Experts Use Microparticles to Fortify Foods with Nutrients

A new technology borrowed from the pharmaceutical industry can make staple foods and seasonings like flour and salt packed with nutrients, according to a research released in Science Translational Medicine.

Hidden hunger is a concern of about two billion people who are fed with the right amount of required calories but lack micronutrients like iron, calcium, and vitamins in their diet. To address this nutritional challenge, researchers from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and partners devised a new strategy – put the nutrients together in tiny packages that can withstand cooking temperatures but dissolve easily in the digestive system. These microparticles are coated with consumable plastic similar to pills' but are smaller than a grain of sand. One packet may contain up to four different types of nutrients such as iron, zinc, iodine, vitamins A, B12, C, and D.

Read more findings in Science Translational Medicine and Genetic Literacy Project.