Particles for Humanity Announces Publication Demonstrating Breakthrough in Vitamin A Stability for Food Fortification
Cambridge, MA (February 24, 2026). Particles for Humanity, a mission-driven biotechnology company developing nutrition technologies for low- and middle-income countries, today announced the publication of new data in Food Sciences & Nutrition highlighting a major advancement in the stability of vitamin A for use in staple food fortification programs.
To evaluate stability in a key food vehicle consumed widely across West Africa, two PFH-VAP formulations were incorporated into bouillon cubes. After 12 months of high-temperature, high-humidity storage, PFH-VAP-fortified bouillon retained >3x vitamin A than bouillon containing a commercial comparator.
Vitamin A deficiency remains a significant public health challenge in many regions of the world, particularly in West Africa. Food fortification—adding essential vitamins to commonly consumed foods—is a proven, cost-effective strategy to improve nutritional status. However, vitamin A is unstable when exposed to heat and humidity, which are common conditions in West Africa.
The recently published study details the development and evaluation of PFH-VAP, a next-generation, encapsulated formulation of vitamin A palmitate. PFH-VAP utilizes basic methacrylate copolymer (BMC), a pharmaceutical and nutraceutical tablet coating material with a >60-year history of safe use in humans. With protection from BMC, PFH-VAP is engineered to withstand harsh storage and cooking conditions found commonly throughout West Africa.
Researchers prepared multiple formulations and tested their performance under controlled temperature and humidity conditions. The most promising candidates were then manufactured at scale to assess reproducibility and stability. This milestone represents five years of intensive, collaborative work with two key partners. LIS by Lesaffre conducted all spray drying in France, while Eurofins Denmark led analytical testing and stability studies—together generating the data that underpins this publication. Their combined expertise was essential in validating PFH-VAP’s performance under real-world conditions.
“Ensuring vitamin A survives challenging conditions is essential for reaching the communities who need it most,” said Sam Brady, Director, Research, Development & Program Management. “This technology brings us one step closer to delivering nutrition at scale.”
Particles for Humanity will next focus on commercializing PFH-VAP and securing the first adopters of PFH-VAP for bouillon fortification.
Particles for Humanity transforms early-stage medical technology into products for people living in low- and lower-middle-income countries. Its rigorous product development process is based on end-user input and focused on financially sustainable product opportunities. Visit www.particlesfh.com or contact info@particlesfh.com.
With 2 production sites (France and Poland) and over 60 years of experience, LIS by Lesaffre is the ultimate drying partner in Europe for food, feed, nutraceuticals, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals markets. Visit lesaffre-ingredients-services.com.