Iron absorption from meat pate fortified with ferric pyrophosphate in iron-deficient women

Preventing iron deficiency has been a main target of the World Health Organization since 1992. Difficulties to reach dietary recommended iron intakes and to enhance iron absorption should be overcome. We compared in iron-deficient women the bioavailability of iron of three meat pate products enriched with ferrous sulfate, ferric pyrophosphate encapsulated in liposomes, or ferric pyrophosphate encapsulated in liposomes plus a hemoglobin-based meat pigment.

Seventeen women with low iron stores (ferritin <30 microg/L) took part in a three-way, randomized, crossover, double-blind postprandial intervention. Test meals consisted of 80 g of the three different enriched meat pate products, which were spread on two slices of white bread. The pate composition was 13.5 g of protein/100 g, 30 g of fat/100 g (49% monounsaturated fatty acids, 35% saturated fatty acids, 16% polyunsaturated fatty acids), 1 g of carbohydrates/100 g, and 19 mg of total iron (including 15 mg of iron from the test fortificants). Blood samples were taken at baseline and each hour for 6 h after eating the meal and serum iron was determined.

Serum iron concentration evolution during the postprandial study was similar with the three meals, and maximum concentrations were obtained between hours 2 and 4. The effect of type of fortificant was not significant.

Consumption of meat pate fortified with ferric pyrophosphate encapsulated in liposomes can be part of a dietary strategy for preventing iron deficiency in humans. The addition of larger amounts of a meat pigment rich in heme iron should be further studied.