Measuring Dietary Iron Absorption From Edible Insects and Assessing the Effect of Chitin Content on Iron Bioavailability (Study 1)
Condition: Iron-deficiency
MeSH terms: Anemia, Iron-Deficiency; Iron Deficiencies
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      Due to the growing world population, there is a need to develop viable ecological and
      nutritional alternatives to animal food products. However, animal products are a key dietary
      source of well-absorbed iron, and iron deficiency and iron deficiency anemia remain highly
      prevalent in high- and low-income countries. Meat and fish provide a substantial proportion
      of absorbed iron in the western diet by two distinct components: a) heme iron is well
      absorbed (20-45% fractional absorption) and is not affected by most dietary enhancers and
      inhibitors, which often affect non-heme iron absorption; b) peptides in muscle meat exert an
      enhancing effect the absorption of non-heme iron contained in other meal components. The
      potential of edible insects as a dietary source of well-absorbed iron has not been
      investigated in detail. In particular, it is unclear whether insects provide an iron moiety
      similar to hemoglobin which would be well absorbed and unaffected by other dietary
      components, and whether their presence in a test meal exerts an enhancing effect on iron
      bioavailability from the whole meal.

      Furthermore, chitin, a major component of insect biomass, is a known iron binder and is
      potentially responsible for a decreased iron absorption from insect-based foods. Decreasing
      chitin content could allow the high amounts of iron in insects to be well-absorbed, and
      enhance the absorption of iron from plant-based foods. To differentiate iron absorption from
      insect biomass from other sources, insects will be intrinsically labelled with the stable
      iron isotope 57Fe, while other food iron components will be labelled with the iron isotope
      58Fe.The present study will provide novel data to elucidate the nutritional value as sources
      of dietary iron of insect species (Tenebrio molitor). Since 2017 T.molitor is recognised as
      an edible insect in the Swiss food legislation and commercially available (Essento Food AG,
      Zürich; Insekterei, GmbH, Zürich).
    


Intervention name(s): Refined maize with extrinsic addition of labelled FeSO4; T.molitor native chitin; T molitor reduced chitin
Intervention type(s): Other; Other; Other
Intervention description(s): Porridge prepared with refined maize flour with extrinsic addition of FeSO4 (isotopic iron 54); Porridge prepared with dried intrinsically labelled T.molitor (isotopic iron 57) native chitin, refined maize flour and extrinsic addition FeSO4 (isotopic iron 58); Porridge prepared with dried intrinsically labelled T.molitor (isotopic iron 57) reduced chitin, refined maize flour and extrinsic addition FeSO4 (isotopic iron 58)
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Crossover Assignment
Masking: Single (Participant)
Primary purpose: Other
Keywords: chitin; iron deficiency; Tenebrio molitor; iron bioavailability; edible insects