Wheat as a Dietary Source of Iron

Abstract

The iron content of eleven samples of American grown wheat varied from 2.90 to 4.87 mg. per 100 gm., and the average was 3.94 mg. These values are in accord with most of the recent reports of the iron content of wheat, which show that about 3 to 4 mg. of iron are present per 100 gm. It was shown by the dipyridyl method that an average of 81% of the total iron of wheat is ionogenic iron (also called available and inorganic iron). The proportion of the total iron in the form of ionogenic iron in the present series of determinations ranged from 73 to 88%. Within these limits the ionogenic iron is a constant proportion of the total iron. By means of biological assays with anemic rats it was shown that the iron of wheat is fully as available to the organism as an equal amount of iron in the form of ferric chloride. Under the conditions described, about one-half of the iron of ferric chloride or of finely ground whole wheat is retained by the anemic rat. In view of the results of the feeding tests it is difficult to interpret the values obtained with the chemical method for the estimation of ionogenic iron.