Cereal Chem 67:505-508   |  VIEW ARTICLE

Study of Iron Bioavailability in a Native Nigerian Grain Amaranth Cereal for Young Children, Using a Rat Model.

P. Whittaker and M. O. Ologunde. Copyright 1990 by the American Association of Cereal Chemists, Inc. 

Iron bioavailability in Nigerian grain amaranth cereal fortified by two iron compounds, sodium ferric ethylenediaminetetraacetate (NaFeEDTA) and ferrous fumarate (FeC4H2)4), was compared with that in cereal fortified with ferrous sulfate (FeSO4). Grain amaranth is important because of its potential as a cereal for young children in Nigeria and other third world countries. Although hemoglobin gain in all three groups fed fortified cereal was significantly higher than that in the group fed cereal with no added iron, hemoglobin gain was highest in animals fed amaranth cereal with ferrous fumarate. Relative biological values for animals receiving unfortified amaranth cereal or cereal fortified with NaFeEDTA, ferrous fumarate, or FeSO4 were 0.78, 0.93, 1.05, and 1.00, respectively. Body weight gain, hemoglobin gain, and concentrations of phytate and tannin as well as the protein efficiency ratio of fortified amaranth cereal were compared with the same parameters from a previous study of iron bioavailability in fortified Egyptian balady bread prepared with high-extraction wheat. Protein efficiency ratio of fortified amaranth cereal was approximately 1.6 as compared with 0.9 for the Egyptian bread. High relative biological values and expected body weight gain indicated optimum iron absorption from the amaranth cereal. This study indicates that ferrous fumarate is the iron fortifier of choice for grain amaranth cereal.