Scientists supercharge shellfish to tackle vitamin deficiency in humans


Date:
July 20, 2020
Source:
University of Cambridge
Summary:
Cambridge scientists have developed a new way to fortify shellfish
to tackle human nutrient deficiencies which cause severe health
problems across the world. The team is now working with major
seafood manufacturers to further test their microencapsulation
technology, or ''Vitamin Bullets''.



FULL STORY ========================================================================== Cambridge scientists have developed a new way to fortify shellfish to
tackle human nutrient deficiencies which cause severe health problems
across the world. The team is now working with major seafood manufacturers
to further test their microencapsulation technology, or "Vitamin Bullets."

==========================================================================
Over two billion people worldwide are nutrient deficient, leading
to a wide range of serious health problems. Fortifying food with
micronutrients is already an industry standard for enhancing public
health but now scientists at Cambridge's Department of Zoology have
teamed up with Cambridge-based company BioBullets to supercharge one
of the world's most healthy and sustainable sources of animal protein:
bivalve shellfish such as oysters, clams and mussels.

Dr David Aldridge and PhD student David Willer have produced the
world's first microcapsule specially designed to deliver nutrients to
bivalves which are beneficial to human health. These "Vitamin Bullets"
-- manufactured under patent by Aldridge's company, BioBullets -- are
tailored for optimal size, shape, buoyancy and to appeal to shellfish.

This breakthrough, described in a study published today in the journal Frontiers in Nutrition, is particularly valuable because when we eat
bivalves, we consume the entire organism including its gut, meaning
that we digest the nutrients which the animals consumed towards the
end of their lives. This makes bivalve shellfish the ideal target for nutritional fortification.

In their Cambridge laboratory, the scientists trialled Vitamin A and
D fortified microcapsules on over 100 oysters to identify the optimal
dose. They also established that this should be fed for 8 hours towards
the end of "depuration," the period in which bivalves are held in
cleansing tanks after being harvested.

The team found that fortified oysters delivered around 100 times more
Vitamin A, and over 150 times more Vitamin D, than natural oysters. Even
more importantly, they dramatically outperformed salmon, one of the
best natural sources of these vitamins. The fortified oysters provided
more than 26 times more Vitamin A and over 4 times more Vitamin D
than salmon. The scientists found that a serving of just two of their supercharged shellfish provided enough Vitamin A and D to meet human Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDAs).

Vitamin A and D deficiencies pose a particularly serious public
health challenge -- in Ghana more than 76% of children are Vitamin A
deficient, causing widespread mortality and blindness. In India, 85%
of the population is Vitamin D deficient, which causes cardiovascular
diseases, osteoporosis, and rickets. Even in the US, over 40% of people
are Vitamin D deficient.

David Willer said: "We have demonstrated a cheap and effective way
to get micronutrients into a sustainable and delicious source of
protein. Targeted use of this technology in regions worst affected by
nutrient deficiencies, using carefully selected bivalve species and micronutrients, could help improve the health of millions, while also
reducing the harm that meat production is doing to the environment."
David Aldridge said: "We are very excited about BioBullets' potential. We
are now establishing links with some of the world's biggest seafood manufacturers to drive a step change in the sustainability and
nutritional value of the seafood that we consume." Bivalves have a
higher protein content than beef, are a rich source of omega- 3 fatty
acids, and have some of the highest levels of key minerals of all animal
foods. Nevertheless, the nutrients that they deliver naturally is unlikely
to solve global deficiencies. These shellfish are also highly sustainable
to farm, having a far lower environmental footprint than animal meat or
fish, and lower even than many plant crops such as wheat, soya, and rice.

Bivalves are a highly affordable food source when produced at large scale
and the global market is rapidly expanding. Production in China alone has
grown 1000-fold since 1980 and there is great potential to sustainably
expand bivalve aquaculture worldwide, with over 1,500,000 km2 available
for sustainable low- cost industry development, particularly around the
west coast of Africa and India.

The researchers point out that consumers in poorer regions where vitamin deficiencies are most prevalent are more likely to buy slightly more
expensive fortified food than to make additional purchases to take
supplement pills. They calculate that fortification adds just $0.0056
to the cost of producing a single oyster.


========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by University_of_Cambridge. The original
story is licensed under a Creative_Commons_License. Note: Content may
be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. David F. Willer, David C. Aldridge. Vitamin
Bullets. Microencapsulated
Feeds to Fortify Shellfish and Tackle Human Nutrient Deficiencies.

Frontiers in Nutrition, 2020; 7 DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2020.00102 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/07/200720093251.htm

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