The Swedish startup Ironic Biotech raised $1 million in pre-seed round, as it discovered a new generation of plant-derived proteins containing iron, which it can transform into no side effects supplements.
If our iron stock gets too low or run out, our bodies can’t produce enough red blood cells to supply our bodies with oxygen, which leads to a severe health condition called anaemia. Therefore, women are often reccommanded to take iron supplements to cover for the lost iron. But the body's absorbtion of iron is not that straightforward as just swallowing a pill.vitamin C, folic acid, zinc on a white background with shadow. The concept of a healthy lifestyle, beauty and treatment. Close-up, copy space. Flat lay.
Ironic Biotech started looking into alternative solutions within the plant space, as also some vegetables contain iron, despite in lower concentrations than in red meat. As it is full of iron, just like meat, Ironic Biotech’s product has a red tint: “When it is in a supplement it will be high in concentration and therefore you will see its colour. We're not worried it will alter the colour of food as it will be diluted,” she commented.
A good food product contender could be orange juice, as vitamin C further enhance the absorption of iron: “We would like to have companies’ thoughts to know in which part of their production process we should add our product,” she said.Many times milk beverages are also fortified, especially plant-based alternatives as they lack some precious nutrients such as calcium: “When it comes to soy, unfortunately, is a big inhibitor of iron absorption.