Iron enriched yeast biomass – A promising mineral feed supplement

Yeast biomass enriched with iron could represent a new and safer solution for prevention from anaemia development. Such an iron source is less toxic and has better absorbability in organisms. The purpose of our research was the determination of the most suitable iron source in the cultivation medium for the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, regarding good growth and iron accumulation in cells. Iron(III) citrate, iron(III) chloride, iron(III) nitrate and Fe–EDTA complex were used. The uptake of the chosen iron compound, Fe(III) citrate, by the yeasts Candida intermedia and Kluyveromyces marxianus was also investigated. Different growth behaviour of the three yeast strains in the presence of Fe(III) citrate was observed. The highest amounts of accumulated iron in S. cerevisiae, C. intermedia and K. marxianus biomass were about 13, 20 and 34 mg Fe g−1 dry wt., respectively. To optimise the accumulation of iron in K. marxianus and to characterise iron enriched yeast biomass, further experiments are needed.