Improved zinc and iron absorption from breakfast meals containing malted oats with reduced phytate content

Abstract

The absorption of Zn or Fe from breakfast meals containing oat porridge prepared from malted and soaked oats and a control porridge made from untreated oats was measured in human subjects. The effect on Zn and Fe absorption of reducing the phytate content of oat-porridge meals was examined in each subject by extrinsic labelling of porridge with 65 Zn and of bread rolls with 55 Fe and 59 Fe, and measuring whole-body retention and the erythrocyte uptake of isotopes. Each experiment comprised nine to ten subjects. The absorption of Zn from malted-oat porridge with a phytate (inositol hexaphosphate) content of 107 μmol was 18·3%, and significantly higher ( P < 0·05) than from the control porridge containing 432 μmol phytate (11·8%). Fe absorption from the meal containing malted-oat porridge with 107 μmol phytate (Expt 2) was also significantly improved ( P < 0·05) compared with that from the meal containing control porridge with 437 μmol phytate. The average increase in Fe absorption was 47%, or from 4·4 to 6·0%. In the breakfast meal containing malted porridge with 198 μmol phytate (Expt 3) the increase in Fe absorption was not significantly improved. Even though the phytate content was reduced to a greater extent in Expt 3 than Expt 2, the average increase in Fe absorption in Expt 3 was only 25% more than that from the meal containing control porridge (with 599 μmol phytate), depending on the higher absolute amount of phytate. In conclusion, an improvement in Zn and Fe absorption from oat products can be achieved by practising malting and soaking in the processing of oats. This may be of importance in the prevention of mineral deficiency in vulnerable groups.