01 Nov 2023 — In the constantly changing field of nutrition and well-being, experts are continually exploring ways to achieve the best possible bioavailability of crucial nutrients to ensure their efficacy. Nutrition Insight continues its conversation on the topic with Alan Connolly, R&D manager of nutraceutical ingredients at Lubrizol Life Science, Health.
Last week, Connolly, alongside experts from Gencor and Balchem, discussed the latest bioavailability trends and research, highlighting the importance of maintaining functionality through digestion, absorption factors, delivery technology and multi-ingredient solutions.
Stressing the significance of ingredient absorption in the context of nutraceuticals and supplements, Connolly reminds us that “micronutrient deficiencies are affecting people worldwide. Deficiencies such as iron, vitamin A, zinc, folate, vitamin B12, vitamin D and iodine have severe consequences, including reduced immunity, congenital disabilities, blindness, reduced growth, cognitive impairment and even death.”
“Some of these nutrients are not very bioavailable. Therefore, there is a big focus on solutions that aim to improve the stability and bioavailability of nutrients in nutraceutical formulations.”
Overcoming limited ingredient absorption
As the world grapples with widespread micronutrient deficiencies, the urgency to enhance the stability and bioavailability of vital nutrients is pressing. Connolly asserts that supplements are essential to addressing various micronutrient deficiencies, but poor absorption remains a hurdle. Micronutrient deficiencies are affecting people worldwide, according to Connolly.
“For example, iron deficiency is estimated to be the most prevalent micronutrient deficiency worldwide and is the most significant cause of anemia. Iron supplementation is a recognized way to tackle iron deficiency. However, there are some issues with iron supplements currently available in the market.”
He explains that these issues can include a metallic off-taste, poor iron absorption or side effects such as stomach upset, constipation and nausea. “Innovations focus on improving iron bioavailability, helping consumers achieve optimal iron intakes while bypassing some of their side effects or challenges through iron supplementation.”
“Particle size is an important aspect of ensuring absorption in the body. In general, smaller particles are absorbed easier, and micronization and high-pressure homogenization are commonly used.”
Powerful combinations
Connolly outlines that it has been shown that the combination of some ingredients can increase the bioavailability of nutrients or have a detrimental effect on absorption.“For example, the mineral can be combined with other ingredients to boost iron absorption.”
“Ascorbic acid (vitamin C) is one of the most popular ingredients combined with iron, being present in a significant percentage of iron supplements. It has been observed that its combination significantly increases iron absorption. Vitamin C can reduce the physical state of iron to its absorbable form,” he adds.
However, he underscores that several dietary inhibitors in nutrition limit the absorption of certain nutritional supplements.
“Regarding iron absorption, calcium, phytates and polyphenols are known dietary inhibitors that do not allow an effective absorption of iron throughout the body. Phytate and polyphenols are the major iron absorption inhibitors in plant-based foods because they make a complex with dietary iron in the gastrointestinal tract in a comparable way.”
Another way to overcome undesirable ingredient interactions highlighted by Connelly is by utilizing microencapsulation techniques on the ingredients that are prone to interfere with the absorption. This can help isolate the component through a protective layer without compromising its bioavailability.
Iron absorption innovation
Connolly tells us more about the multiple technologies Lubrizol Life Science employs to ensure the vital absorption of its iron supplement products.
“Our microencapsulated iron, Lipofer microcapsules, combines multiple technologies to enhance iron absorption with low gastric irritation. It has several proven benefits. The bioavailability of iron has been shown in a clinical trial to improve iron status in healthy people in as little as four weeks.”
The technologies used ensure the product’s “pleasant taste,” which helps consumers stick to recommended daily intakes, finish the supplementation, does not lead to digestive tract effects and allows for a reduced interaction with other active ingredients.
Microencapsulation technologies offer improved bioavailability and functional properties for formulators.
Microencapsulation technologies offer improved bioavailability and functional properties for formulators.
Besides increased bioavailability, Lubrizol Life Science’s microencapsulation technologies also offer “improved functional properties for formulators, including water dispersibility, organoleptic properties and reduced interactions with other active ingredients.”
According to Connolly, these technical advantages can enable formulators to develop “more complex applications, resulting in lower overages and more stable products.”
Micronization and encapsulation technologies Liposomes — small and spherical lipid vesicles — have long been thought to offer the highest bioavailability, but they can only be used in liquid applications, explains Connolly. They can degrade during standard processing conditions and are very expensive to produce.
“For powder applications, a different particle delivery system is required. The Lipofer product combines micronization and encapsulation technologies to deliver a product that is very stable and can be used in both powder and liquid applications while still ensuring maximum absorption in the body.”
“We are currently developing a microencapsulated vitamin C source that is both protected from oxidation and water dispersible without compromising its bioavailability, thereby enabling the formulation of stable liquid supplements. We also have a source of microencapsulated curcumin, branded Curcushine microcapsules, with superior absorption and proven clinical data showing it improves overall skin appearance.”
There are several problems with some nutrients in terms of “off-taste taste, reactivity, interaction with other ingredients and unwanted color changes, among others,” that must be solved to obtain “stable, bioavailable and good-tasting products” that also prevent consumers from possible side effects such as “tract irritation caused by the intake of nutraceutical formulations.”
Connolly concludes: “Lubrizol has applied its core technological competencies to overcome issues related to off-taste taste, reactivity, interaction with other ingredients and color change by developing specialized microencapsulated expertise that combines multiple technologies to ensure the delivery of nutrients with optimum performance.”
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — The body of Ugandan Olympic athlete Rebecca Cheptegei — who died after being set on fire by her partner in Kenya — was received Friday by family and anti-femicide crusaders, ahead of her burial a day later.
Cheptegei’s family met with dozens of activists Friday who had marched to the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital’s morgue in the western city of Eldoret while chanting anti-femicide slogans.
She is the fourth female athlete to have been killed by her partner in Kenya in yet another case of gender-based violence in recent years.
Viola Cheptoo, the founder of Tirop Angels – an organization that was formed in honor of athlete Agnes Tirop, who was stabbed to death in 2021, said stakeholders need to ensure this is the last death of an athlete due to gender-based violence.
“We are here to say that enough is enough, we are tired of burying our sisters due to GBV,” she said.
It was a somber mood at the morgue as athletes and family members viewed Cheptegei’s body which sustained 80% of burns after she was doused with gasoline by her partner Dickson Ndiema. Ndiema sustained 30% burns on his body and later succumbed.
Ndiema and Cheptegei were said to have quarreled over a piece of land that the athlete bought in Kenya, according to a report filed by the local chief.
Cheptegei competed in the women’s marathon at the Paris Olympics less than a month before the attack. She finished in 44th place.
Cheptegei’s father, Joseph, said that the body will make a brief stop at their home in the Endebess area before proceeding to Bukwo in eastern Uganda for a night vigil and burial on Saturday.
“We are in the final part of giving my daughter the last respect,” a visibly distraught Joseph said.
He told reporters last week that Ndiema was stalking and threatening Cheptegei and the family had informed police.
Four in 10 women or an estimated 41% of dating or married Kenyan women have experienced physical or sexual violence perpetrated by their current or most recent partner, according to the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey 2022.
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — A rare Bronze-Era jar accidentally smashed by a 4-year-old visiting a museum was back on display Wednesday after restoration experts were able to carefully piece the artifact back together.
Last month, a family from northern Israel was visiting the museum when their youngest son tipped over the jar, which smashed into pieces.
Alex Geller, the boy’s father, said his son — the youngest of three — is exceptionally curious, and that the moment he heard the crash, “please let that not be my child” was the first thought that raced through his head.
The jar has been on display at the Hecht Museum in Haifa for 35 years. It was one of the only containers of its size and from that period still complete when it was discovered.
The Bronze Age jar is one of many artifacts exhibited out in the open, part of the Hecht Museum’s vision of letting visitors explore history without glass barriers, said Inbal Rivlin, the director of the museum, which is associated with Haifa University in northern Israel.
It was likely used to hold wine or oil, and dates back to between 2200 and 1500 B.C.
Rivlin and the museum decided to turn the moment, which captured international attention, into a teaching moment, inviting the Geller family back for a special visit and hands-on activity to illustrate the restoration process.
Rivlin added that the incident provided a welcome distraction from the ongoing war in Gaza. “Well, he’s just a kid. So I think that somehow it touches the heart of the people in Israel and around the world,“ said Rivlin.
Roee Shafir, a restoration expert at the museum, said the repairs would be fairly simple, as the pieces were from a single, complete jar. Archaeologists often face the more daunting task of sifting through piles of shards from multiple objects and trying to piece them together.
Experts used 3D technology, hi-resolution videos, and special glue to painstakingly reconstruct the large jar.
Less than two weeks after it broke, the jar went back on display at the museum. The gluing process left small hairline cracks, and a few pieces are missing, but the jar’s impressive size remains.
The only noticeable difference in the exhibit was a new sign reading “please don’t touch.”
VICTORIA – The British Columbia government is partnering with a bear welfare group to reduce the number of bears being euthanized in the province.
Nicholas Scapillati, executive director of Grizzly Bear Foundation, said Monday that it comes after months-long discussions with the province on how to protect bears, with the goal to give the animals a “better and second chance at life in the wild.”
Scapillati said what’s exciting about the project is that the government is open to working with outside experts and the public.
“So, they’ll be working through Indigenous knowledge and scientific understanding, bringing in the latest techniques and training expertise from leading experts,” he said in an interview.
B.C. government data show conservation officers destroyed 603 black bears and 23 grizzly bears in 2023, while 154 black bears were killed by officers in the first six months of this year.
Scapillati said the group will publish a report with recommendations by next spring, while an independent oversight committee will be set up to review all bear encounters with conservation officers to provide advice to the government.
Environment Minister George Heyman said in a statement that they are looking for new ways to ensure conservation officers “have the trust of the communities they serve,” and the panel will make recommendations to enhance officer training and improve policies.
Lesley Fox, with the wildlife protection group The Fur-Bearers, said they’ve been calling for such a committee for decades.
“This move demonstrates the government is listening,” said Fox. “I suspect, because of the impending election, their listening skills are potentially a little sharper than they normally are.”
Fox said the partnership came from “a place of long frustration” as provincial conservation officers kill more than 500 black bears every year on average, and the public is “no longer tolerating this kind of approach.”
“I think that the conservation officer service and the B.C. government are aware they need to change, and certainly the public has been asking for it,” said Fox.
Fox said there’s a lot of optimism about the new partnership, but, as with any government, there will likely be a lot of red tape to get through.
“I think speed is going to be important, whether or not the committee has the ability to make change and make change relatively quickly without having to study an issue to death, ” said Fox.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 9, 2024.
