David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139.
South China Advanced Institute for Soft Matter Science and Technology, School of Emergent Soft Matter, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640, China.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2022 Dec 20;119(51):e2211534119. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2211534119. Epub 2022 Dec 12.
Food fortification is an effective strategy to address vitamin A (VitA) deficiency, which is the leading cause of childhood blindness and drastically increases mortality from severe infections. However, VitA food fortification remains challenging due to significant degradation during storage and cooking. We utilized an FDA-approved, thermostable, and pH-responsive basic methacrylate copolymer (BMC) to encapsulate and stabilize VitA in microparticles (MPs). Encapsulation of VitA in VitA-BMC MPs greatly improved stability during simulated cooking conditions and long-term storage. VitA absorption was nine times greater from cooked MPs than from cooked free VitA in rats. In a randomized controlled cross-over study in healthy premenopausal women, VitA was readily released from MPs after consumption and had a similar absorption profile to free VitA. This VitA encapsulation technology will enable global food fortification strategies toward eliminating VitA deficiency.
食物强化是解决维生素 A（VitA）缺乏症的有效策略，维生素 A 缺乏症是儿童失明的主要原因，并且大大增加了严重感染的死亡率。然而，由于在储存和烹饪过程中会发生严重降解，因此 VitA 食物强化仍然具有挑战性。我们利用美国食品和药物管理局批准的、热稳定的和 pH 响应的基本甲基丙烯酸酯共聚物（BMC）将 VitA 包封并稳定在微颗粒（MPs）中。VitA 在 VitA-BMC MPs 中的包封极大地提高了模拟烹饪条件和长期储存过程中的稳定性。与烹饪游离 VitA 相比，来自烹饪 MPs 的 VitA 吸收量增加了九倍。在一项健康绝经前妇女的随机对照交叉研究中，MPs 中的 VitA 在消耗后很容易释放出来，并且其吸收特征与游离 VitA 相似。这项 VitA 包封技术将使全球的食物强化策略能够消除 VitA 缺乏症。
