Scientists created a special coating to protect folic acid (a vitamin your body needs) from breaking down when food is cooked or digested. They wrapped folic acid in a protective shell made of natural ingredients and tested it in soda crackers baked at high heat. The coating worked really well—it kept the vitamin safe in your stomach and released it properly in your intestines where your body can absorb it. When they added this protected folic acid to crackers and baked them, the vitamin stayed intact much better than regular folic acid would have. This discovery could help food companies add more nutrients to baked goods without losing them during cooking.

The Quick Take

  • What they studied: Whether wrapping folic acid in a protective coating made from natural fats could keep the vitamin from breaking down during cooking and digestion
  • Who participated: This was a laboratory study testing the coating in soda crackers and simulated digestion conditions, not a study with human volunteers
  • Key finding: The protective coating reduced folic acid breakdown by 43% during heating and kept 77% of the vitamin available for your body to absorb in the intestines, compared to only 11% survival for unprotected folic acid
  • What it means for you: Food companies may soon be able to add folic acid to baked goods more effectively, ensuring you get more of this important vitamin from fortified foods. However, this is early-stage research and hasn’t been tested in people yet

The Research Details

Researchers created a special protective coating by mixing folic acid with porous starch (a type of modified starch) and then covering it with glycerol monostearate, which is a natural fat-like substance used in food. They tested three different ratios of coating to core material to find the best combination. The best version (called M-3) had a 1:3 ratio of core to coating. They then tested how well this coating protected the folic acid using several laboratory techniques: heating tests to see if the vitamin broke down, microscope analysis to look at the particle structure, and simulated digestion tests that mimicked what happens in your stomach and intestines. Finally, they added the coated folic acid to soda crackers and baked them at 180°C (356°F) to see if the vitamin survived the baking process.

Folic acid is an important B vitamin that helps your body make new cells and prevent birth defects, but it’s fragile. Regular folic acid breaks down easily when heated during cooking and when exposed to stomach acid. This study’s approach is important because it tests a practical solution that could work in real food manufacturing, using ingredients that are already approved for food use

This is a well-designed laboratory study with multiple testing methods that confirm the findings from different angles. The researchers used standard scientific equipment and procedures. However, this is early-stage research conducted in test tubes and simulated digestion systems, not in actual human bodies. The study doesn’t include human volunteers, so we don’t know yet if the coating works the same way in real people

What the Results Show

The protective coating was extremely effective at keeping folic acid intact. The best version achieved a 98.33% encapsulation efficiency, meaning almost all the folic acid was successfully wrapped and protected. When tested in simulated stomach conditions, the coating protected the folic acid so well that only 12.19% was lost, compared to 89.36% loss for unprotected folic acid. In the simulated intestines, where your body absorbs nutrients, 77.14% of the protected folic acid was released and available for absorption. The coating worked by creating a hydrophobic (water-repelling) barrier around the folic acid, which protected it from both heat and stomach acid. When the coated folic acid was added to soda crackers and baked at high temperature, it retained more than twice as much folic acid compared to crackers made with regular folic acid.

The particle size of the coated folic acid increased from smaller particles to about 93 micrometers, which is still small enough to work well in food. The coating reduced the surface area of the particles, which helped prevent the folic acid from being exposed to damaging conditions. Heating tests showed that the coated folic acid decomposed 43.4% more slowly than uncoated folic acid, meaning it stayed stable longer at high temperatures. These results all point to the same mechanism: the protective coating creates a barrier that shields the delicate folic acid from damage

Previous attempts to protect folic acid in foods have had limited success. This approach is novel because it uses a combination of a porous starch core with a natural fat coating, which is different from other protection methods. The results are significantly better than what’s been achieved before—the 77% intestinal release rate and the two-fold improvement in retention during baking represent meaningful advances over existing fortification methods

This study was conducted entirely in laboratory conditions and simulated digestion systems, not in real human bodies. We don’t know if the coating will work exactly the same way when people actually eat the food. The study didn’t test whether the folic acid that’s released in the intestines is actually absorbed into the bloodstream. The research also didn’t test the coated folic acid in other types of foods or at different baking temperatures. Finally, the study didn’t evaluate whether the coating affects the taste, texture, or other properties of the crackers

The Bottom Line

This research suggests that using protective coatings for folic acid in baked goods is a promising approach (moderate confidence level). However, these findings need to be confirmed in human studies before food companies should widely adopt this method. If you’re concerned about getting enough folic acid, continue eating folate-rich foods like leafy greens, beans, and fortified grains

This research is most relevant to food manufacturers, nutritionists, and public health officials working on food fortification. People who are pregnant, planning to become pregnant, or have certain health conditions that affect folic acid absorption should be aware of advances in nutrient fortification. General consumers should know that this represents progress in making fortified foods more effective, but it’s not yet available in products

If this technology moves forward, it would likely take 3-5 years of human studies before it could be approved for use in commercial food products. Even then, it would take additional time for food companies to implement the process in manufacturing

Want to Apply This Research?

  • Track daily folic acid intake from fortified foods and leafy greens. Log the type of bread or crackers consumed and note if they’re labeled as fortified with folic acid
  • When shopping, start reading labels on bread and crackers to identify which products are fortified with folic acid. Set a goal to include at least one fortified grain product daily, and supplement with leafy greens like spinach or kale
  • Monitor folic acid intake weekly by tracking servings of fortified grains and folate-rich vegetables. If this technology becomes available in commercial products, you could track consumption of these advanced fortified foods separately to compare your intake

This research is preliminary laboratory work and has not been tested in humans. The findings suggest potential benefits for food fortification but should not be used to make personal health decisions. If you have concerns about folic acid intake, especially if you’re pregnant, planning pregnancy, or have a medical condition, consult with your healthcare provider. This article is for educational purposes and does not replace professional medical advice.