Bioavailability of Iron-fortified Whey Protein Concentrate in Iron-deficient Rats

An iron-fortified whey protein concentrate (Fe-WPC) was prepared by addition of ferric chloride to concentrated whey. A large part of the iron in the Fe-WPC existed as complexes with proteins such as β-lactoglobulin. The bioavailability of iron from FeWPC was evaluated using iron-deficient rats, in comparison with heme iron. Rats were separated into a control group and an irondeficiency group. Rats in the control group were given the standard diet containing ferrous sulfate as the source of iron throughout the experimental feeding period. Rats in the iron-deficiency group were made anemic by feeding on an Fe-deficient diet without any added iron for 3 wk. After the iron-deficiency period, the iron-deficiency group was separated into an Fe-WPC group and a heme iron group fed Fe-WPC and hemin as the sole source of iron, respectively. The hemoglobin content, iron content in liver, hemoglobin regeneration efficiency (HRE) and apparent iron absorption rate were examined when iron-deficient rats were fed either Fe-WPC or hemin as the sole source of iron for 20 d. Hemoglobin content was significantly higher in the rats fed the Fe-WPC diet than in rats fed the hemin diet. HRE in rats fed the Fe-WPC diet was significantly higher than in rats fed the hemin diet. The apparent iron absorption rate in rats fed the Fe-WPC diet tended to be higher than in rats fed the hemin diet (p = 0.054). The solubility of iron in the small intestine of rats at 2.5 h after ingestion of the Fe-WPC diet was approximately twice that of rats fed the hemin diet. These results indicated that the iron bioavailability of Fe-WPC was higher than that of hemin, which seemed due, in part, to the different iron solubility in the intestine. (