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Soybeans Today January 1998

Soy Protein Carries Essential Mineral

By Howell Medders

Many Americans, especially children, have too

little iron in their diet, even though they consume a host of "iron-fortified" products, and iron deficiency is a major health problem in many less developed countries where red meat is rarely eaten.

"The existence of iron deficiency anemia in the U.S. indicates that the iron in many fortified foods is not biologically available," says Dr. Navam Hettiarachchy, a University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture food scientist.

Iron is not biologically available if it is part of a molecule that passes through the body undigested.

Hettiarachchy is conducting research supported by the Arkansas Soybean Promotion Board to produce a soy protein-based iron carrier that will increase the bioavailability of iron in fortified foods.

"An iron-carrying soy protein isolate will further enhance the use of soy proteins as a meat substitute in infant formula, wheat flour and in many other products," she said.

The market for an economical iron carrier that is proven to be highly digestible could include iron fortification of staple foods for much of the world’s population, she added.

The presence of phytic acid in soy protein inhibits the bioavailability of iron by forming a stable iron-phytate complex that does not release iron for absorption by the body, Hettiarachchy says. The U of A research team she leads has developed an iron-bound soy protein isolate with very low phytic acid, and laboratory tests indicate it is highly digestible.

The bioavailability of the iron delivered to the body by the soy protein isolate will require confirmation in animal studies, Hettiarachchy said.

Rats with low known levels of iron in their blood will be given either a soy-based iron-fortified diet or a control diet containing a known amount of bioavailable iron. The amount of iron in the rats’ blood at the end of the study will tell how much they absorbed from each diet.

Other studies will measure the iron-carrying protein isolate’s shelf life and how it responds to changes in temperature and pH.

Hettiarachchy said she is confident that the test results will enable the researchers to fine tune procedures for producing a soy protein isolate that will become a widely used carrier for iron in fortified foods including wheat flour, infant formula, breakfast cereals and staple products in less-developed countries.

For more information on iron or other essential nutrients, contact your county Extension office.

Soybeans Today January 1998
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