Bioavailability of Iron Produced by the Corrosion of Steel in Apples

Abstract

The bioavailability of iron formed by the corrosion of low-carbon steel (99% Fe) in contact with Red Delicious apples was measured in a rat model using a depletion-repletion experiment. The percentage of ingested iron converted to hemoglobin iron (Conversion Efflciency) was 74, 57, and 56%, respectively, for daily doses of 110, 190, and 285 pg of this iron. (Conversion Efficiency for FeS04 was 46-50%). When compared with FeS04 = 100, the relative biological value of this iron was found to range from 93-153. Ingestion of one Red Delicious apple that has been exposed to eight large iron nails for 24 hr could provide lo-15 mg iron having good bioavailability. every other day as frozed iron/apple supplements that had been allowed to thaw before presentation. In every case, these iron/apple supplements were consumed by the animals within an hour of presentation, which was always during morning, daylight hours. There was no loss of supplement due to dropping. Four groups were fed the basal diet having 0, 6, 12, or 24 ppm iron as ferrous sulfate which was added dry to the basal diet rather than incorporated into frozen apple supplements or another form of liquid supplement in order to insure that the chemical form of the iron presented to these animals was, in fact, ferrous sulfate. These four groups were fed adlibitum. After 12 days, hemoglobin values were again determined for each animal.

Contaminant Iron in Water and Soil Samples and in Vitro Availability Studies

“…The iron content of foods cooked in iron utensils increases significantly [3][4][5]. The bioavailability of iron from apples with nails inserted to rust [6] and from food cooked in iron pots [7] is relatively high.…”

Extrinsic tagging in iron bioavailability research: a critical review

“…Very little is also known about the bioavailability of the various forms of contaminating iron. However, there have been recent attempts to quantitate this problem (Hallberg and Bjorn-Rassmusen, 1981;Hallberg et al, 1983;Rosanoff and Kennedy, 1982). Amine et al (1972) have also shown that the extrinsic tag technique will not give an accurate measurement of iron absorption from a diet which contains insoluble iron.…”

A review of metal release in the food industry

“…On the background of studies showing a possibility of a significant rise in haemoglobin values in humans from the intake of food exposed to iron cookware Rosanof and Kennedy investigated the bioavailability of iron produced by the corrosion of low-carbon steel (99%) in contact with Red Delicious apples [34]. A high percentage of the ingested iron was converted into haemoglobin iron, and ingestion of one Red Delicious apple that had been exposed to eight large iron nails for 24 h could provide 10 -15 mg having good bioavailability.…”