Caseinate bound to iron and zinc in lab cells
What it found
Iron and zinc attached to a modified milk protein called caseinate were taken up more by gut cells than plain mineral salts.
This was measured in lab tests using human intestinal cells.
What they found
Animal and lab studies
Mineral uptake in cells
In lab tests using human intestinal cells, minerals attached to the modified caseinate were taken up significantly more than plain mineral salts.
Iron storage in cells
When iron was attached to the modified caseinate, the lab cells made more ferritin, a protein that stores iron, compared to free iron alone.
Other findings
Protein structure changes
Lab measurements showed that attaching iron or zinc changed the shape and light-emitting properties of the modified caseinate.
What the authors conclude
- They suggest these mineral-bound protein complexes could replace standard mineral additives in fortified foods.
- The authors say this swap could be done safely because the new complexes deliver minerals more effectively.
How it was done
Milk proteins like casein are often used to carry minerals into food. Scientists wanted to see if chemically changing caseinate could help it hold onto iron and zinc better.
Researchers altered sodium caseinate with a chemical process called succinylation, then attached iron or zinc to it. They tested how these new complexes behaved and measured how well human intestinal cells grown in the lab took up the minerals.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- These tests used human cells grown in a lab dish, not whole people eating food.
- Cell studies cannot show what happens when someone eats these minerals as part of a meal.
Who paid
- Authors work at
- National Dairy Research Institute, India
The paper
- Title
- Physicochemical characterization of mineral (iron/zinc) bound caseinate and their mineral uptake in Caco-2 cells
- Type
- Study
- Evidence
- Animals and lab studies
- Summarised from
- Abstract only
- Cite
- Shilpashree BG, Arora S, Kapila S, Sharma V (2018). Physicochemical characterization of mineral (iron/zinc) bound caseinate and their mineral uptake in Caco-2 cells. Food chemistry. doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2018.02.157PubMed 29622185DOI
Summary written 30 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error