Use of Ascorbic and Citric Acids to Increase Dialyzable Iron From Vinal (Prosopis ruscifolia) Pulp

Abstract

Vinal (Prosopis ruscifolia) is an ecologically important wild leguminous tree that grows spontaneously in Argentine deforested lands, the fruit of which is consumed by humans and animals. Because considerable iron content with low to intermediate availability has been previously reported in vinal pulps, its enhancement would be of interest. Iron availability was determined as iron dialyzability using an in vitro technique. Response surface methodology was used to evaluate iron availability increase after adding ascorbic and/or citric acids to vinal pulp at different mM acid/mM Fe ratios. Those ratios ranged from 0.05:1 to 9.95:1 and from 0.5:1 to 99.5:1 for ascorbic acid/Fe (AA:Fe) and citric acid/Fe (CA:Fe), respectively. The obtained second- and first-order polynomial equations showed that AA:Fe and CA:Fe molar ratios linear terms had a significant effect on iron dialyzability increase (P < or = 0.05). It was possible to enhance iron availability to a maximum of 4.6 times. Additional confirmatory experiments were made adding the same organic acids to different vinal pulps and to a traditional cake prepared with vinal pulp called "patay." There were no significant differences (p > 0.05) between predicted values obtained by the model and experimental results.

Formulation and Sensory Evaluation of Prosopis alba (Algarrobo) Pulp Cookies with Increased Iron and Calcium Dialyzabilities

“…Once again AA proved to be a potent enhancer of iron absorption [2,5,6]. CA has a beneficial effect on not only DFe% but DCa% owing to its ability to form soluble complexes with both minerals [2,5,6].…”

“…The algarrobo pulp (AP) is used to prepare different foods, being appreciated because of their high sugar content and pleasant flavour. In a previous work, it was found not only an interesting calcium and iron levels in AP but important dietary fiber contents [2].…”

“…Ascorbic acid (AA) is widely accepted as an efficient non heme iron availability enhancer helping to maintain iron as its reduced form, which because of its solubility, is more bioavailable in the gastrointestinal tract [2][3][4][5]. Also citric (CA) and tartaric acids have a beneficial effect because of its ability to form soluble complexes in the lumen of the small intestine not only with iron but with calcium as well [3,6].…”

“…Ascorbic and/or citric acids were added to cookie formulation, at different levels, based on previous work with Prosopis ruscifolia pulp which demonstrated that those organic acids could enhance endogenous iron dialyzability [2]. In order to evaluate its nutritional importance, not only iron and calcium but also polyphenols dialyzabilities were determined in AP cookies.…”

Fatty-acid composition of Prosopis ruscifolia seed upon prolonged storage conditions

“…The genus Prosopis is abundantly represented in Argentina, where the most prominent members are the well-known P. alba, P. chilensis, P. flexuosa, and P. nigra [1]. In the past the plant has been regarded as a nuisance, but it has recently been reported as an alternative for vegetable coal, and its timber can be used for building constructions; most interestingly, their pods offer an array of useful components: high levels of protein, polysaccharides (galactomannans), and some antioxidants, presumably provided by polyphenols and phytates [2], which make this resource a valuable asset for food ingredients or nutraceutical uses.…”