An interventional study of Refined maize with extrinsic addition of labelled FeSO4 and T.molitor native chitin in Iron-deficiency, sponsored by Swiss Federal Institute of Technology. Completed at 1 site in Switzerland. Open to female participants aged 18 Years to 45 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2022-06-13.
Sponsored by Swiss Federal Institute of Technology · Not applicable, Interventional, and Other
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).
644 studies on the registry are indexed under Anemia, Iron-Deficiency; 105 are open to participants now.
This study's enrollment of 21 is below the median of 100 across 503 interventional studies indexed under Anemia, Iron-Deficiency.
Browse Anemia, Iron-Deficiency studies →Swiss Federal Institute of Technology is the lead sponsor of 152 studies on the registry; 10 are open to participants now.
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Exclusion Criteria:
Two portions of porridge prepared with refined maize flour with extrinsic addition of labelled FeSO4 (isotopic iron 54)
Other: Refined maize with extrinsic addition of labelled FeSO4
Two portions of porridge prepared with refined maize flour mixed with dried intrinsically labelled Tenebrio molitor (isotopic iron 57) native chitin and extrinsic addition FeSO4 (isotopic iron 58)
Other: T.molitor native chitin
Two portions of porridge prepared with refined maize flour mixed with dried intrinsically labelled Tenebrio molitor (isotopic iron 57) reduced chitin and extrinsic addition FeSO4 (isotopic iron 58)
Other: T molitor reduced chitin
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)
Fractional Iron absorption
Fractional iron absorption will be calculated based on the shift of the iron isotope ratios in the collected blood samples after the administration of the intervention products .Fractional iron absorption will be measured as erythrocyte incorporation of the naturally occurring iron forms with different masses used to label the iron supplements.
Time frame: 30th day of the study
Hemoglobin (Hb)
Iron status marker
Time frame: screening (-1), day 16th and day 30th of the study
Plasma ferritin (PF)
Iron status marker
Time frame: screening (-1), day 16th and day 30th of the study
C-Reactive Protein (CRP)
Inflammation status
Time frame: screening (-1), day 16th and day 30th of the study
Soluble transferring receptor (sTfR)
Iron status marker
Time frame: screening (-1), day 16th and day 30th of the study
Body iron stores (BIS)
Iron status marker
Time frame: screening (-1), day 16th and day 30th of the study
Alpha 1 acid glycoprotein (AGP)
Inflammation marker
Time frame: screening (-1), day 16th and day 30th of the study
Plan to share: No
This study is completed, as verified in Jun 2022. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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Swiss Federal Institute of Technology