Synthesis and characterization of ferrous cysteinate nanoparticles as a promising dietary supplement

Abstract

We synthesized ferrous cysteinate nanoparticles in the form of flakes of up to 20 nm thickness. Their sizes were confirmed by scanning electron microscopy. Their composition has been studied using inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES), CHNS-analysis, IR spectroscopy, powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The obtained nanoparticles were tested on chickens, and the best average daily increase in their weight was observed when feeding them with ferrous cysteinate nanoparticles in comparison with ferrous sulfate at a 10 times higher dosage.