When there is an imbalance between the body’s demand for iron and its supply, it leads to the depletion of stored iron in the body, which in turn causes iron deficiency in the red blood cells, ultimately leading to iron deficiency anemia. Iron deficiency anemia is the most common type of anemia in our clinic, and the World Health Organization (WHO) has shown that the number of people suffering from anemia in the world is more than 2 billion, accounting for 30% of the world’s population, of which about 50% of the patients with anemia are caused by iron deficiency.

A large number of data show that iron deficiency and iron-deficiency anemia will trigger a decline in immune function, physical work capacity, but also affect the development of brain cells, thus restricting the intellectual development of infants and young children. Therefore, the prevention and control of iron deficiency and iron deficiency anemia has become an urgent public health problem in China.

Food fortification is the measure of adding nutrients to food to enhance its nutritional value. Among them, the added nutrients are nutrient fortification agents. This kind of fortified food is called fortified food.

Selection of nutrient fortification should be considered in the human body absorption and utilization, such as heme iron in the human body absorption is not easily affected by dietary phytate, phosphoric acid, while non-heme iron is susceptible to dietary phytate, phosphoric acid, and organic iron than inorganic iron gastrointestinal stimulation is small, easy to absorb.

Selection of iron fortification also requires compliance with the principles of nutrition, does not disrupt the balance between nutrients, and does not change the quality and taste of food due to fortification.

Characteristics of sodium iron ethylenediaminetetraacetate

1. Structure and properties of sodium iron ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid
Sodium iron ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid is light yellow to brown powder, odorless, slightly rusty flavor, slightly hygroscopic. Easily soluble in water, the solubility in water is about 10% (20 ℃), and with the increase of temperature, the solubility increases. Also slightly soluble in methanol, insoluble in ethanol.

2.Provisions for the use of ferric sodium ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid
The Nineteenth Annual Meeting of National Technical Committee for Food Additives Standardization agreed to use it as iron source, and the scope of use and the amount of use should refer to the GB14880 standard, and it should be used as iron nutrient fortifier.

Sodium iron ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid
Application in food industry

1.Application of NaFeEDTA in soy sauce
Iron-fortified soy sauce refers to soy sauce as a carrier, adding iron nutrient fortifier which is very easy to be absorbed by human body, so as to improve people’s iron nutritional status and control iron deficiency anemia. Whereas soy sauce is a common condiment used by people in Asian countries, it is produced in large quantities in our country and is consumed by about 70% or more of the population. Meanwhile, the consumption of soy sauce as a condiment is relatively stable and the amount used is easy to control.

NaFeEDTA is stable in nature, its iron absorption rate is usually higher than that of other iron agents because it is less affected by dietary iron absorption inhibitors, its quality is stable and not easily oxidized during food processing and storage, and its solubility in soy sauce is good, so that the original taste and flavor of soy sauce remain unchanged.

Chen Junshi obtained that the quality of soy sauce with NaFeEDTA is better than that with other iron salts. At the same time, the consumption of iron-fortified soy sauce can make the anemia rate decrease and hemoglobin increase, also has a definite effect on the prevention and treatment of iron deficiency and iron deficiency anemia.

2.2 Application of NaFeEDTA in flour
Flour is an important basic raw material for the food industry, with high consumer coverage and acceptance in our country, so adding minerals to flour for fortification not only makes the flour meet different nutritional needs, but also makes the flour have high economic value and practical value. Flour is one of the main carriers of iron-fortified foods.

Common iron fortification agents include reduced titanium, iron pyrophosphate, sodium iron pyrophosphate, ferrous sulfate, etc. Li Weiping concluded through the test that the raw material price of NaFeEDTA is the highest, and its utilization in plant-based diets is high, and the absorption rate in flour is little affected by phytic acid.

At the same time, NaFeEDTA does not produce insoluble iron in the process of fermentation, baking and storage of noodle products, is easily soluble in water, is stable in nature, does not affect the organoleptic quality of the food, does not cause oxidation of the food, and has a good taste without a ferruginous odor.

Conclusion

Due to NaFeEDTA on the municipal party committee carrier sensory and intrinsic quality of less impact on the absorption of human gastrointestinal stimulation of less, clinical application without obvious side effects, the metabolites of calcium, magnesium, copper and other aspects of the advantages of the impact, especially not subject to phytate and other inhibitors of iron absorption, the characteristics of the higher rate of absorption and biological effects.

Therefore, in the food industry such as soy sauce, flour, baked goods, solid beverages and other foods added NaFeEDTA, especially nutritional supplements in the choice of iron fortification and improve nutritional anemia function of health food functional factors will be more inclined to use NaFeEDTA.