Haemoglobin-fortified cereal: an alternative weaning food with high iron bioavailability

Extruded rice flour was fortified with 5 per cent bovine haemoglobin concentrate (BHC). The amino acid score of the product was 59 per cent. The protein efficiency ratio (PER) for the fortified cereal alone was 1.4; however, when given as a mixed diet of cereal and humanized milk (providing 41 and 59 per cent of the protein, respectively) PER was 2.6 (casein standard = 2.5). Iron absorption studies were performed with a double isotope technique, on 10 infants 8-10 months of age. Geometric mean absorption of the rice-BHC iron was 14.2 per cent, as measured with a tag of 55Fe-haemoglobin. The 59Fe-ferrous ascorbate reference dose had a mean absorption of 38.5 per cent. The use of a haem-iron fortified cereal as a weaning food seems feasible and advantageous, supplying an appropriate amount of absorbed iron, an adequate energy density, and a protein which could complement milk protein.