Hvalur develops fin-whale iron powder to combat iron deficiency

Hvalur hf., a whaling company, is developing a powder made from fin-whale muscle that it says could become an effective treatment for iron deficiency. The company plans to stop selling whale meat and instead use the meat in the production of the powder, according to mbl.is.

Kristján Loftsson, chief executive of Hvalur, told Morgunblaðið that marine mammals have considerably higher iron concentrations in their muscles than land animals. Beef contains about 40 milligrams of iron per kilogram of dry weight, while fin-whale meat contains about 300 milligrams and seal meat about 900 milligrams.

More than 80% of the iron is in the form of haem iron, mainly bound to myoglobin. Diving mammals need substantial oxygen reserves in their muscles, which they maintain by storing oxygen in myoglobin, Loftsson said.

Haem iron is absorbed significantly more efficiently than the iron salts used in conventional treatment for iron deficiency. Fewer dietary factors negatively affect its absorption, and iron salts can cause side effects including sores and severe gastrointestinal discomfort, he said.

Iron deficiency can have several causes. The most common is insufficient iron in the diet, although poor absorption, increased iron requirements, blood loss and chronic illnesses can also contribute.

Hvalur has developed a process to extract and concentrate iron from fin-whale muscle. The process produces a powder containing about 700 milligrams of haem iron per kilogram.

Loftsson said one gram of the powder, called Reyðarjárn, contains the same total amount of iron as about 40 grams of raw beef or 70 to 350 grams of raw lamb.

About one third of the world’s population is thought to suffer from anaemia. With the global population estimated at 8.3 billion, that would mean more than 2.7 billion people are affected.

“This project fits well with helping people maintain the correct level of iron in their bodies,” Loftsson said.

For now, the product may only be sold to Norway, the Faroe Islands and Japan, since trade in whale products is not permitted between other countries. Loftsson said he believed more countries would eventually be interested and that the rules governing the sale of whale products could change.

He expects full-scale production to begin within a year.