BIOAVAILABILITY OF IRON FROM HOME PREPARED WEANING FOODS

The bioavailability of iron in rice combined with beans, soyabeans and egg yolk as home prepared weaning mixes and FeSO4- supplemented diets was evaluated using the haemoglobin regeneration assay. Thirty six we anling mate rats were made anemic by feeding a basal diet containing 7 .1mg Fe/100g of food sample After depleting the rats of haemoglobin (H b) for four weeks, they were assigned in group of six on the test diet s for a 14 day repletion period. lion from rice and beans, rice and so yabeans, and rice and egg yolk mixes, were converted to Hb with the re lative efficiencies of 67, 73 and 72% of the FeSO4 7H(2)O diet respect ively. Rice based weaning food mixes could make significant contributi ons to available iron in the diets of infants. The implications of thi s on iron nutrition are discussed.