Bioaccessibility of iron in developed pectin iron complex using Citrus limon Burm F. peels subjected to in-vitro gastro-pancreatic digestion.

Pectin from the citrus peel waste has novel applications in food and biomedical industries. The present work focused on addressing iron deficiency, which is a global health concern, by developing a functional ingredient using pectin extracted from Assam lemon (Citrus limon Burm. F) and supplementing iron via the pectin‑iron complex (PIC). Extracted pectin was incubated with iron chloride hexahydrate (0.90-1.80 mM) for 180 h to optimize the complexation conditions, with the optimal concentration being 1.36 mM. The iron bioavailability and its absorption in the PIC was assessed using in-vitro simulation digestion and Caco-2 cell monolayers. The bioaccessible form of iron in the developed PIC during the intestinal phase was 5.34 ± 0.16%, which was negligible in pectin. The absorption of bioaccessible iron in the PIC was found to be 2.93 ± 0.03%. The results demonstrated that PIC could reduce iron deficiency and increase fibre intake, leading to several health benefits.