Iron fortification of dried skim milk and maize–soya-bean–milk mixture (CSM): availability of iron in Jamaican infants

Abstract

1. The availability of iron added to dried skim milk and to maize–soya-bean–milk mixture (CSM) was measured by whole-body counting in thirty clinically healthy children and compared with the availability of Fe from ferrous ascorbate alone.2. The mean absorption of Fe added as ferrous sulphate to a test meal of dried skim milk was 9·5% when the test meal was given as a sweetened drink. When maize meal was added to the dried skim milk to produce a porridge the mean absorption of the supplementary Fe was reduced to 6·3%. The mean absorption of Fe given as ferrous ascorbate alone was 59·6%.3. These results differed from those reported for indirect tests done with animals in which the absorption of inorganic Fe added to milk-based feed preparations for infants was substantially greater than that of dietary Fe.4. The mean absorption of Fe added as ferrous fumarate to a test meal of maize–soya-bean–milk mixture was 6·0%, whereas that of Fe given as ferrous ascorbate alone was 63·5%.5. The amount of supplementary Fe added to maize–soya-bean–milk mixture (USA Department of Agriculture specification) was considered to be adequate.