Bioavailability of zinc in ground beef

Area of Science:

• Nutritional Science
• Animal Nutrition
• Food Science

Background:

• Zinc is an essential mineral crucial for numerous physiological processes.
• Dietary phytate can inhibit zinc absorption, impacting overall bioavailability.
• Assessing zinc bioavailability from different food sources is vital for human and animal nutrition.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the zinc bioavailability of cooked ground beef.
• To compare beef's zinc bioavailability with an inorganic zinc source (zinc sulfate).
• To investigate the influence of dietary phytate on zinc bioavailability from beef.

Main Methods:

• Chick tibia zinc uptake was used as the primary indicator of zinc bioavailability.
• Two types of diets were used: a soy-concentrate diet with phytate and a phytate-free egg-white diet.
• Supplemental zinc from zinc sulfate and freeze-dried ground beef were administered.

Main Results:

• Zinc bioavailability in cooked ground beef was equivalent to zinc sulfate in both diet types.
• Tibia zinc content showed a linear response to supplemental zinc sulfate (P < .01).
• The slope for zinc uptake was steeper in the phytate-free diet, indicating higher bioavailability without phytate.

Conclusions:

• Cooked ground beef provides highly bioavailable zinc, comparable to inorganic sources.
• Dietary phytate does not significantly reduce the bioavailability of zinc from ground beef.
• Beef can be considered an excellent source of zinc, regardless of phytate content in the diet.