Erythropoietic response of anemic rats to enriched white bread and bread ash

Iron-deficient rats were rehabilitated with diets supplying iron from white wheat bread, bread ash or ferrous sulfate as a standard. The relative biological value of iron in bread or its ash was greater when evaluated from red blood cell count than when estimated from hemoglobin concentration. Ash obtained by heating bread in a muffle furnace and reduced with hydrogen was more effective in stimulating blood cell production than could be accounted for by its iron content alone.