Iron and zinc are involved in various functions and their deficiency may lead to several health issues. Fortification of these micronutrients in food is considered as the most effective approach to control deficiencies. Due to high reactivity, iron fortification involves various challenges with respect to oxidative stability and bioaccessibility. Whey protein (WP) serve as an inexpensive protein source and thus have been used in the preparation of protein-mineral (iron or zinc) complexes. In the present study, WP-mineral complexes were prepared and evaluated for their oxidative stability and bioavailability. Thiobarbituric acid value and induction period were measured as index for oxidative stability of lipids in linoleic acid emulsions. The pro-oxidant activity of iron when used as WP-iron complex was significantly reduced (P < 0.05) as compared to iron salt. In-vitro bioaccessibility studies revealed that bound proteins provided favourable conditions (i.e. insoluble at gastric and soluble at intestinal phase) to minerals. Moreover, the bioavailability of bound minerals in Caco-2 cells was significantly higher as compared to free minerals due the presence of digested whey proteins. Finally, catalytic activity of iron can be inhibited by complexation with WP and both WP-iron or zinc complexes could be used as organic fortificants in different food formulations.

铁和锌具有多种功能，其缺乏会导致一些健康问题。食品中这些微量营养素的强化被认为是控制缺陷的最有效方法。由于高反应性，铁的强化涉及氧化稳定性和生物可及性方面的各种挑战。乳清蛋白（WP）作为廉价的蛋白质来源，因此已用于制备蛋白质矿物质（铁或锌）复合物。在本研究中，制备了WP-矿物复合物并评估了其氧化稳定性和生物利用度。测定了硫代巴比妥酸值和诱导期，作为亚油酸乳液中脂质氧化稳定性的指标。当用作WP-铁络合物时，铁的促氧化活性显着降低（P <0。体外生物可及性研究表明，结合的蛋白质为矿物质提供了有利的条件（即在胃中不溶而在肠相中可溶）。此外，由于存在消化的乳清蛋白，与游离矿物质相比，Caco-2细胞中结合矿物质的生物利用度明显更高。最后，铁的催化活性可通过与WP络合而受到抑制，并且WP-铁或锌络合物均可在不同食品配方中用作有机强化剂。