Relative Bioavailability of Dietary Iron from Three Processed Soy Products

The relative bioavailability of iron from soy flour (SF), freeze‐dried soy beverage (SB) and soy concentrate (SC) was determined utilizing a hemoglobin repletion bioassay. Weanling male rats were fed a low iron depletion diet (3.5 ppm Fe) for 4 wk. For the next 2 wk groups of rats were fed repletion diets containing 0, 6, 12, or 18 ppm added iron from ferrous sulfate, SF, SB, or SC. Slope ratio analysis revealed that the relative iron bioavailabilities from SC (92%) and SF (81%) were not different from the reference standard, ferrous sulfate added to a casein‐based diet, whereas that from SB (66%) was significantly less (P<0.01) than the inorganic source of iron. Analysis of results at individual iron levels suggested an iron bioavailability of SC>SF>SB.