Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 30, 2026

Setup of Capillary Electrophoresis-Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry CE-ICP-MS for Quantification of Iron Redox Species FeII, FeIII
Published on: May 4, 2020
Meat and ascorbic acid can promote Fe availability from Fe-phytate but not from Fe-tannic acid complexes
Reina Engle-Stone1, Andrew Yeung, Ross Welch
1U.S. Plant, Soil, and Nutrition Laboratory, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Tower Road, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA.
Abstract:
This study utilized an in vitro digestion/Caco-2 cell model to determine the levels of ascorbic acid (AA) and "meat factor" needed to promote Fe absorption from Fe complexed with phytic acid (PA) or tannic acid (TA). AA reversed the inhibition of Fe absorption by PA beginning at a molar ratio of 1:20:1 (Fe:PA:AA) but essentially had no effect on the Fe complexed with TA. Fish also reversed the inhibition of Fe uptake by PA but not by TA. TA and fish decreased total Fe solubility. Iron in the presence of PA was highly soluble. AA, but not fish, increased the percentage of soluble Fe as Fe2+ in the presence of both inhibitors. The results indicate that monoferric phytate is a form of Fe that can be available for absorption in the presence of uptake promoters. In contrast, a TA-Fe complex is much less soluble and unavailable in the presence of promoters.
Related Concept Videos
Ions as Acids and Bases
Salts are ionic compounds composed of cations and anions, either of which may be capable of undergoing an acid or base ionization reaction with water. Aqueous salt solutions, therefore, may be acidic, basic, or neutral, depending on the relative acid-base strengths of the salt’s constituent ions. For example, dissolving the ammonium chloride in water results in its dissociation, as described by the equation:
Polyprotic Acids
Amino acids
Mixtures of Acids
A Mixture of a Strong Acid and a Weak Acid
In a mixture of a strong acid and a weak acid, the strong acid dissociates completely and becomes a source of almost all the hydronium ions...
Nucleic Acids
DNA and RNA
The two main types of nucleic acids are deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA). DNA is the genetic material in all living organisms, ranging from single-celled bacteria to multicellular mammals. It is in the nucleus of eukaryotes and in the organelles, chloroplasts, and mitochondria. In prokaryotes,...
Nucleic acids
DNA and RNA
The two main types of nucleic acids are deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA). DNA is the genetic material in all living organisms, ranging from single-celled bacteria to multicellular mammals. It is in the nucleus of eukaryotes and in the organelles, chloroplasts, and mitochondria. In prokaryotes,...

