title: Bioavailability of calcium from sweetpotato and soy flour supplemented diets in hamsters.
abstract: The bioavailability of calcium from two varieties of sweetpotatoes and supplementation of sweetpotatoes with soy flour was investigated in hamsters using plasma calcium concentration and femur calcium content as indicators. Five different diets were fed to five groups of animals for 28 days. There was no significant difference in plasma calcium concentrations of hamsters in all the diet groups. However, the femur calcium content of hamsters with transgenic sweetpotato flour (TSPF) and parent nontransgenic (from which transgenic was produced) sweetpotato flour (NTSPF) diets was significantly higher than that of the transgenic sweetotato flour supplemented with soy flour (TSPF + SF) and parent nontransgenic sweetpotato flour supplemented with soy flour (NTSPF + SF) diets. The relative bioavailability of calcium from the control (100%), TSPF+SF (30%), NTSPF+SF (23%), TSPF (57%) and NTSPF (46%) indicated that sweetpotatoes could be the better source of calcium, however, supplementation with soy flour might reduce the bioavailability of calcium.
authors.affiliation: Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences, Tuskegee University, Alabama, USA. kanizs@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Kaniz F
authors.initials: KF
authors.lastname: Shireen
authors.forename: Ralphenia D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Pace
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Egnin
authors.forename: C S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Prakash
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D001682:Biological Availability; D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000378:metabolism*; D002136:Calcium, Dietary / Q000097:blood / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D006224:Cricetinae; D004032:Diet; D027723:Ipomoea batatas; D008297:Male; D008647:Mesocricetus; D013025:Glycine max
chemical_list: D002136:Calcium, Dietary