For the last four years the Dutch chemicals group has marketed its ferric sodium EDTA (ethylenediaminetetraacetate) in developing countries including China, Philippines, Brazil, Columbia, Thailand and Kenya, where iron deficiency is a major problem.
But following a soft launch in the US last July, the company expressed its intention to introduce the ingredient in Western markets too.
The novel foods application seeks to take it into all categories of PARNUTS (foods for particular nutritional uses) with the exception of baby formulas, such as: foods intended for use in energy restricted diets for weight reduction; dietary foods for special medical purposes; low-sodium foods; gluten-free foods; foods intended to meet the expenditure of intense muscular effort; and foods for diabetes sufferers.
"The levels of addition of ferric sodium EDTA would be similar to other forms of oxidized iron currently approved for use in PARNUTS foods," it said in its application.
Akzo Nobel is also seeking for Ferrazone to be added to the Food Supplements Directive's list of permitted vitamins and minerals.
It has previously been used in supplements sold in the UK and France.
Some food uses for the compound have already been flagged. For instance, Kraft has gained GRAS approval for Ferrazone's use in powdered meal replacements, flavoured milk, and fruit-flavoured beverages, and Kellogg holds a patent for its use in cornflakes.
Geoff Smith, business director of the company's Asia Pacific activities and responsible for Ferrazone, said that, at this stage, there is no further news to report on potential uses of Ferrazone in the EU.
However beverages are one likely format, since adding iron to drinks is technically difficult as the high moisture increases the reactivity of water-soluble iron compounds, resulting in unwanted odours and metallic offtastes. L-ascorbic acid is often used to mask these tastes.
The iron in Ferrazone, or sodium iron EDTA (NaFeEDTA), is stable however, and does not form off-flavours or colours, nor does it react with the flavours in an orange drink for example, in the way that unstabilised iron can.
Akzo Nobel has also shown that wheat flour fortified with Ferrazone copes much better in storage than when other forms of iron are added.
"Iron is a particularly difficult compound to formulate so people are looking for alternatives to those products already on the market. There is interest from food companies because of the low reactivity of this product," Smith told NutraIngredients.com last year.
Ferrazone is also said to be more bioavailable than other sources of the mineral - a factor that would prompt its use in supplements since it will allow formulators to use less. Moreover it does not stain teeth or cause the gastric upset seen particularly in pregnant women after ingesting ferrous sulphate.
The company has also filed an application on Ferrazone's use in Australia and New Zealand authorities, and future plans include Japan and Codex countries.
The FSA's Advisory Committee on Novel Foods and Processes is seeking comments on the application before October 24.