2002 Volume 19 Pages 51-53
The high incidence of iron deficiency in developing countries is attributed to the bioavailability of iron derived from staple food. Iron fortification has been implemented to improve iron deficiency in many countries. Sodium iron ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (NaFeEDTA), a metal chelator, is one of the food additives for iron fortification. On the other hand, it is possible that EDTA may bind to metals and influence their absorption because of its chelating property. Thus, to investigate the effects of NaFeEDTA and ferrous sulfate on the absorption of trace elements, we determined the uptake of trace elements in rats everted intestinal segments. The result suggests that NaFeEDTA is increased the intestinal absorption of iron, zinc and cobalt, and less affected by tannic acid on the absorption of these elements.
