Iron absorption from meat pate fortified with ferric pyrophosphate in iron-deficient women.
OBJECTIVE
Preventing iron deficiency has been a main target of the World Health Organization since 1992. Difficulties to reach dietary recommended iron intakes and to enhance iron absorption should be overcome. We compared in iron-deficient women the bioavailability of iron of three meat pate products enriched with ferrous sulfate, ferric pyrophosphate encapsulated in liposomes, or ferric pyrophosphate encapsulated in liposomes plus a hemoglobin-based meat pigment.


METHODS
Seventeen women with low iron stores (ferritin <30 microg/L) took part in a three-way, randomized, crossover, double-blind postprandial intervention. Test meals consisted of 80 g of the three different enriched meat pate products, which were spread on two slices of white bread. The pate composition was 13.5 g of protein/100 g, 30 g of fat/100 g (49% monounsaturated fatty acids, 35% saturated fatty acids, 16% polyunsaturated fatty acids), 1 g of carbohydrates/100 g, and 19 mg of total iron (including 15 mg of iron from the test fortificants). Blood samples were taken at baseline and each hour for 6 h after eating the meal and serum iron was determined.


RESULTS
Serum iron concentration evolution during the postprandial study was similar with the three meals, and maximum concentrations were obtained between hours 2 and 4. The effect of type of fortificant was not significant.


CONCLUSIONS
Consumption of meat pate fortified with ferric pyrophosphate encapsulated in liposomes can be part of a dietary strategy for preventing iron deficiency in humans. The addition of larger amounts of a meat pigment rich in heme iron should be further studied.
Navas-Carretero
Santiago
S
Department of Metabolism and Nutrition, Instituto del Frío, Food Science and Technology and Nutrition Institute (ICTAN), Spanish Council for Scientific Research, Madrid, Spain.
Pérez-Granados
Ana M
AM
Sarriá
Beatriz
B
Vaquero
M Pilar
MP