Structure of dietary pectin, iron bioavailability and hemoglobin repletion in anemic rats

The effects of the degree of esterification (DE) and the molecular weight (MW) of pectins on iron bioavailability were investigated in anemic rats. The pectins prepared differed (in DE and MW, respectively) as follows: P-A (73%, 860,000), P-B (75%, 89,000), P-C (22%, 1,260,000) and P-D (24%, 114,000). Rats were fed an iron-deficient diet (8 mg Fe/kg diet) for 14 d. The anemic rats were then fed a ferrous sulfate-supplemented basal diet (47 mg Fe/kg diet) or the basal diet containing one of the pectins (80 g/kg diet) for 10 d. None of the pectins used caused any significant reduction in the bioavailability of ferrous sulfate. Addition of pectin P-B to the diet resulted in significantly greater iron repletion. Compared with control rats fed with ad libitum access or pair-fed, rats fed P-B showed higher (P < 0.05) hemoglobin regeneration efficiency, hematocrit, serum iron concentration, and transferrin saturation, and lower unsaturated iron-binding capacity and total iron-binding capacity. Pectins P-A and P-D also slightly improved the hematological indices compared with P-C and control. The observed effects were dependent on the physicochemical properties of each pectin as determined by its MW and DE.