A vitamin A human absorption study led by Sherry Tanumihardjo, professor of nutritional sciences, is expanding to a second site. The study, which is designed to assess a more heat-stable vitamin A formulation, launched in 2024 at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and enrollment is now open at a second location in Zambia. The study is being conducted in partnership with Particles for Humanity and the National Health Research and Training Institute (NHRTI) in Zambia.

The research team aims to evaluate the absorption of vitamin A from bouillon cubes in adult women. The cubes are fortified with a formulation of vitamin A palmitate (VAP) that is not as susceptible to degradation as commercially available VAP products. The formulation, called PFH-VAP and developed by Particles for Humanity, could improve vitamin A retention in fortified food and get more of the vitamin to people suffering from vitamin A deficiency.

“After a baseline blood sample, participants ingest bouillon broth with three different formulations of vitamin A palmitate. We then follow the rise and fall of vitamin A in the blood and compare the results between the three formulations,” explains Tanumihardjo. “We hypothesize that the improved stability of PFH-VAP results in more vitamin A in the blood compared to other commercial forms of vitamin A.”

Particles for Humanity is funding the study through its philanthropic donations from King Philanthropies and The Mulago Foundation. If the results from studies in the US and Zambia are promising, researchers hope to follow up with chronic feeding studies and further explore the possibilities of PFH-VAP for combating malnutrition around the word, especially in hot, humid areas where much of synthetic vitamin A in foods is lost before it can reach consumers.