FTIR spectroscopy coupled with chemometrics for evaluating functional food efficacy in an in vitro model of iron deficiency anemia.

Vibrational spectroscopy offers a rapid, cost-effective approach for studying biological systems. This study employs Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, combined with Soft Independent Modeling of Class Analogy (SIMCA), to evaluate treatment outcomes for iron deficiency anemia (IDA). The model was built using spectra from healthy and anemic cells, then validated with cells treated with commonly used iron supplements. In calibration, 9 of 10 control and all IDA samples were correctly classified; 14 of 15 validation samples were identified as healthy. The model was applied to cells treated with protein-iron complexes. All samples treated with a 60:1 protein-iron ratio matched the healthy group, while 3 of 4 treated with a 10:1 ratio matched the IDA group. These results were further supported by iron-regulated gene expression of transferrin receptor (TFR) and (Ankyrin Repeat Domain 37) ANKRD37. FTIR coupled with chemometrics enables rapid assessment of functional effects and shows potential for screening functional ingredients in anemia-targeted food products.