First Iron Product for Food Fortification That Can Reduce the Iron Deficiency Epidemic 

 
Lund, Sweden – The new SmiLe company Ironic Biotech is developing an entirely new form of easily absorbed iron. This iron could become the first commercially available iron product for fortifying foods without causing rancidity or metallic taste. Ironic Biotech, which is opening a seed investment round this fall, has been accepted into SmiLe's incubator program. 

Iron deficiency is a widespread public health challenge that affects nearly two billion people, according to the WHO. Until now, iron fortification of food has been limited by both taste issues and the rapid deterioration of product quality. At the same time, current iron supplements contain poorly absorbed inorganic iron that causes adverse effects on the body, such as digestive issues, nausea, and even organ damage. This is due to the fact that more than 90 percent of the inorganic iron in supplements cannot be absorbed by our bodies. 

There is also an environmental aspect—meat contains the best form of iron for humans, but the environmental impact of meat production means that we should eat more vegetarian foods. The downside of this is that vegetarian food contains a different form of iron that the body has difficulty absorbing. 
 
Ironic Biotech’s patent-pending technology is designed to overcome these barriers by offering an optimal form of iron for the body, produced by precision fermentation of plant-based substrates. The result is an iron product that is tasteless and more easily absorbed, reducing the risk of unpleasant side effects. This innovation is based on research conducted at Lund University by the company’s founder and CEO, Nélida Leiva Eriksson. 
 
Ironic Biotech raised over SEK 11 million this spring in a new share issue, led by Nordic Foodtech VC, and will open a seed funding round this fall to accelerate its process development and market introduction. 

“At Ironic Biotech, we have a very strong team that is passionate about what we are doing. We are working towards solving a widespread problem: iron deficiency and anemia. We are already in contact with several interested food companies in the Nordics and Europe, and look forward to further developing the company with the support of SmiLe’s coaches and by being part of SmiLe’s vibrant life science environment,” says Nélida Leiva Eriksson, CEO of Ironic Biotech.

“It will be very exciting to work with Ironic Biotech in their goal to help solve a major public health issue. Their groundbreaking research from Lund University has the potential to make a real difference, and we look forward to contributing to a successful development as the company now gains access to our business development coaches, our extensive network, and our well-equipped laboratories”, says Ulrika Ringdahl, COO of SmiLe. 

For more information, contact: Ulrika Ringdahl, COO at SmiLe, +46 (0)736-566232, ulrika.ringdahl@smileincubator.life  

For more information about Ironic Biotech, contact: Nélida Leiva Eriksson, nelida@ironicbiotech.com 

The team consists of Nélida Leiva Eriksson, whose research for over 15 years has focused on iron proteins and genetic modification of microorganisms for fermentation; Hans Holm, who has extensive industrial experience from companies such as DSM and Christian Hansen; Eskil Åhlin, who has been a business developer in both small and large companies for many years; and the two PhD researchers Karin Kettisen  Leila Allahgholi who have extensive experience in heme-proteins, bioprocessing and analytics.

www.ironicbiotech.com