Bioavailable Zinc and Iron Peptide Complexes from Chickpea Protein

This project is in development to create a chickpea-derived peptide–mineral platform for supportive care, beginning with a bioavailable zinc–peptide supplement and adding an iron-binding peptide research track from the same protein base. The goal is to deliver well-tolerated, food-compatible formulations with stronger absorption performance than common mineral salts, supported by rigorous analytical characterization, bioavailability testing, and a clear path to scalable manufacturing and regulatory readiness. Problem Zinc deficiency remains one of the most persistent micronutrient problems worldwide. It weakens immunity, slows growth, impairs cognition, and worsens recovery from illness, especially in children, older adults, oncology patients, and people living with chronic disease. Yet many widely used zinc supplements, most often inorganic salts such as zinc sulfate or standard complexes such as zinc gluconate, can be poorly absorbed, blocked by dietary inhibitors such as phytates, and associated with gastrointestinal discomfort. These factors reduce adherence and limit real-world impact. Iron deficiency and anemia add another major burden, including in pediatric oncology where treatment can disrupt nutrition, worsen fatigue, and complicate recovery. Many iron formulations also face tolerability and absorption challenges, which creates a practical need for better peptide-bound approaches that can share the same production and delivery pathway as zinc. Solution This project advances a new class of plant-based peptide–mineral complexes made from chickpea protein hydrolysates. Using controlled enzymatic hydrolysis, we generate peptide fractions that bind minerals and form stable, soluble complexes. For zinc, the aim is improved intestinal uptake and reduced sensitivity to dietary inhibitors, supporting better tolerability and consistent use in supportive care settings. In parallel, the program establishes an iron-binding peptide track from the same chickpea platform. This track focuses on identifying and characterizing iron-binding peptides, assessing complex stability and functionality, and building the scientific foundation for future iron-focused formulations that can follow a shared manufacturing and implementation pathway.

Zinc is essential for immune defense, growth, wound healing, fertility, and protection against oxidative stress. When zinc is low, infections last longer, recovery is slower, and resilience during illness is reduced. Many people who most need reliable zinc support either do not absorb it well or stop taking supplements because of side effects. In pediatric oncology, maintaining nutrition and micronutrient status is a core part of supportive care, yet treatment often disrupts appetite, intake, and recovery. Well-tolerated supplementation matters most when the patient can least afford nausea or poor adherence. Adding an iron-binding peptide track strengthens the clinical relevance of the platform. Anemia is common in cancer care and in broader public health. A shared chickpea-derived peptide platform for zinc now, and iron next, supports a coherent, scalable pathway for supportive care nutrition that is clean-label, plant-based, and culturally acceptable.

The project follows a stepwise scientific and translational pathway. Chickpea proteins are extracted under food-grade conditions and processed by selected enzymes into peptide-rich hydrolysates. We then identify peptide fractions with strong binding capacity and favorable properties for stable complexation. For zinc, optimized conditions are used to form stable peptide–zinc complexes designed to remain soluble and protected across digestive pH conditions. These complexes are characterized with advanced analytical methods to confirm composition, binding strength, and stability. In vitro digestion models and intestinal transport assays are used to assess absorption performance, including testing in the presence of dietary inhibitors such as phytates. The iron track uses the same platform to identify and characterize iron-binding peptides and to study complex stability and functional properties. This work establishes the evidence base and technical parameters needed for future iron formulation development without overstating readiness before the data exist.

The program is organized around three connected goals. - Develop and optimize chickpea-derived peptide–zinc complexes with strong binding efficiency, stability, and absorption-relevant performance under food-compatible, scalable conditions. - Establish the chickpea-based iron-binding peptide track by identifying candidate peptides, characterizing peptide–iron complex stability and functionality, and defining parameters for future iron-focused formulations within the same platform. - Produce prototype-ready, regulatory-aligned data and practical pathways for scale-up and deployment in supportive care and public health contexts, including oncology supportive care, pediatric health, and healthy aging.

- - A rigorously characterized, plant-based zinc–peptide formulation with demonstrably improved zinc uptake in validated in vitro models compared with common zinc salts, including performance testing in the presence of dietary inhibitors such as phytates. - A defined iron-binding peptide track with characterized peptide candidates, stability data for peptide–iron complexes, and a clear technical foundation for future iron formulation development using the same chickpea platform. - Pilot-scale manufacturing protocols and quality-control standards suitable for nutraceutical and functional food producers. - Prototype supplement formats, such as capsules or powders, suitable for clinical nutrition, retail markets, and future integration into fortified foods. - A regulatory and intellectual property roadmap covering safety considerations, labeling, claims substantiation strategy, and freedom-to-operate assessment to enable progression toward market and clinical pilots.

The technical backbone combines modern food science, analytical chemistry, and translational nutrition. - Controlled enzymatic hydrolysis of chickpea proteins using food-grade enzymes to generate a library of mineral-binding peptides. - Optimization of complexation conditions, including pH, temperature, peptide-to-mineral ratio, and reaction time, to maximize binding efficiency and stability for zinc, and to define comparable parameters for the iron-binding peptide track. - Physicochemical characterization using methods such as FTIR, circular dichroism, dynamic light scattering, isothermal titration calorimetry, chromatographic profiling, LC–MS, and elemental analysis to define structure, binding stoichiometry, particle size, and stability under gastrointestinal conditions. - Bioavailability assessment through in vitro digestion models and intestinal transport assays, including tests in the presence of inhibitors such as phytates and oxalates for zinc–peptide complexes. - Functional testing aligned with supportive care relevance, plus safety-oriented profiling to support dose translation and regulatory readiness. - Formulation and stability studies aligned with good manufacturing practice and international food safety standards to ensure reproducibility and scale-up readiness.

The scientific rationale, study design, and work packages have been fully developed, supported by a comprehensive literature base on peptide–mineral complexes and chickpea-derived bioactive peptides. Partner capabilities for protein chemistry, analytical characterization, absorption models, and functional food development are identified and ready to execute the plan. The next step is funding to launch laboratory activities, including optimization of chickpea protein hydrolysis, initial zinc–peptide complexation trials, establishment of the iron-binding peptide identification workflow, and early absorption and functionality screening. The project is structured to progress through defined milestones toward validated zinc prototypes, a documented iron track foundation, and regulatory-ready data packages.

We invite donors, research partners, and industry collaborators committed to safer, more effective, and sustainable supportive care nutrition. Support accelerates a practical chickpea-derived platform, starting with a better-tolerated zinc supplement and extending to an iron-binding peptide track that addresses anemia-relevant needs through the same scalable pathway. Partners help move this work from rigorous peptide science to real-world impact in clinics and community programs, with disciplined milestones and transparent progress reporting.