Using Phytase-Producing Bifidobacterium/Lactococcus Strains to Improve Iron Absorption from Iron Fortificants Added to Phytate-Rich Foods

Marion Jourdan of Danone Nutricia Research in the Netherlands together with Michael Zimmermann of ETH Zürich in Switzerland will test an approach to enhance iron absorption from food in children in Kenya by providing them with live food-grade bacteria to release phytate-bound iron from popular foods such as cereal flour. Phytates bind strongly to iron and inhibit its absorption. Their previous work identified different bacterial strains containing phytases that could grow in milk, degrade phytates, and release nutritionally-relevant levels of free iron in vitro. They will test different strain combinations for their phytate-degrading activity under different conditions, such as in specific foods and in an environment mimicking the upper GI tract, and select the best one for producing a fermented food product. This will then be tested to assess its effect on iron absorption in a cohort of 22 iron-deficient Kenyan school-aged children.