Enhancing Iron Bioavailability with Sprinkle Food Containing Steam-Blasted and Enzymatically Hydrolyzed Soybean: A Randomized Controlled Trial in Adolescent Girls.

OBJECTIVE

This study extends prior work on soy hydrolysate by developing a sprinkle food formula and evaluating its iron bioavailability and effectiveness in improving iron status among adolescent girls over an eight-week intervention.

METHOD: The soybean hydrolysate was produced through sequential steam blasting and enzymatic hydrolysis. It was characterized by its molecular weight distribution-predominantly <15 kDa-and amino acid composition, with high levels of glutamic acid, aspartic acid, and arginine, known for their iron-binding properties. A randomized controlled trial (RCT) was conducted involving 106 female adolescents, comparing serum ferritin levels before and after an eight-week intervention with either the hydrolysate-fortified or control sprinkle product.

RESULT: A significant increase in serum ferritin levels was observed among participants with low baseline ferritin (<11 ng/mL) who consumed the soy-hydrolysate-fortified formula, indicating enhanced iron absorption. No significant improvement was detected in participants with normal ferritin but low hemoglobin levels, suggesting that the benefit of soy hydrolysate is more pronounced in individuals with depleted iron stores. Baseline dietary intake and serum profiles were similar between groups, indicating that the benefits observed were likely due to the bioactive properties of soy hydrolysate, especially its amino acid composition and molecular weight that support iron absorption.

CONCLUSION

Fortification with hydrolyzed soybean peptides represents a promising strategy to improve iron status and reduce the risk of anemia, while the applied processing method offers an effective, value-added use of agricultural resources.