Biovailability of Iron to rats fed with Iron Fortified Cassava Gari Diets

Abstract

The need for eradication of nutritional anemia with the local diet is important for a successful intervention at the community level in Nigeria. ari samples separetely fortified with iron sulphate, iron fumarate and sodium iron EDTAat three concentrations, 25, 35 and 45 mg/kg were used as starch based rat diets. The samples were analyzed for iron content using standard method. Haemoglobin depletion repletion method was used to determine iron bioavailability in 120 male albino winster rats for unfortified and iron-fortified gari diets. The experimental rat organs were subjected to histophatological assessment. Iron content of unfortified samples ranged from 8.50 to 11.36 mg/kg compared to iron content of fortified gari samples which ranged from 11.00 to 32.00 mg/kg. Haemoglobin concentrations ranged from 5.80 g/dl to 14.97 g/dl and 10.72 g/dl to g/dl for rats fed with unfortified and fortified diets respectively. Iron haemoglobin ranged from 0.97 mg to 2.82 mg and 1.72 mg to 2.73 for rats fed with unfortified and fortified diets respectively. Packed cell volume ranged from 34.30 to for rats fed with unfortified and fortified diets respectively. The percentage apparent iron absorption for rats fed with unfortified and fortified diet was 67.82 % compared with rats fed with gari, 68.66 to 83.37 % diets (p < 0.05). Iron balance of rats fed with unfortified gari diets was 2.37 mg compared with rats fed with fortified gari, 1.38 to 3.46 mg, diets. Iron availability for rats fed with unfortified gari diets were 14.47 % compared with rats fed with fortified gari, 13.61 to 27.84 %, diets. Rats fed with 25 mg/kg NaFeEDTA and 45 mg/kg Fe sulphate fortified gari diets recorded the highest bioavailability respectively. Iron intake and iron availability are positively correlated at p < 0.01 and r = 0.97. The histopathological assessment revealed no visible lesion on the liver of rats fed with unfortified and iron fortified cassava
diets.

Keywords: Iron fortification, gari, iron, bioavaialability, rats