Efficacy of sodium iron ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid as a food fortifier for improving the iron-deficient status of anemic rats

Summary : Iron deficiency is one of the major nutritional problems in developing countries such as Vietnam, especially among children, infants, and women of childbearing age. The main causative factor is poor absorption of iron from food, and therefore food fortification is assumed to be an effective method for improving iron deficiency. Sodium iron ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (NaFeEDTA), a metal chelate, is one type of iron fortificant. Its safety was provisionally approved by the Joint Food and Agricultural Organizatio?/World Health Organization Expert Comnaittee on Food Additives (JECFA) in 1999. We have found that NaFeEDTA is most soluble in fish sauces and also has less effect on food taste and flavor among several iron fortificant tested. In this study, we first investigated the stability of NaFeEDTA in fish sauces compared with other iron fortificant, such as ferrous sulfate, sodium ferrous citrate and emulsified ferric pyrophosphate, that are used to preserve the quality of fish sauce. Sauce containing NaFeEDTA was analyzed for pH value and color 1 month after fortification. After mixing each of the fish sauces and fortificant, the samples were stored at 37 deg C and then examined. Ferrous sulfate, sodium ferrous citrate and emulsified ferric pyrophosphate were not soluble in fish sauces after 24 h. NaFeEDTA was highly soluble in all samples. In addition, fish sauces fortified with NaFeEDTA maintained a constant pH during storage, indicating that NaFeEDTA has little effect on the quality of the sauces. We then examined the efficacy of NaFeEDTA and other iron fortificant for improving iron deficient status in anemic rats fed an AIN-93 diet or a rice-based diet. There was no significant difference in hemoglobin value between rats on the NaFeEDTA diet and other rats. The liver iron content of rats fed the NaFeEDTA-containing AIN-93 diet was lower than that of rats fed the ferrous sulfate-containing AIN-93 diet. On the other hand, there was no significant difference in the liver iron content between rats fed NaFeEDTA-containing and ferrous sulfate-containing rice-based diets. The liver iron content of rats fed the NaFeEDTA-containing rice-based diet was higher than that of rats fed the ferrous citratecontaining rice-based diet, indicating that NaFeEDTA is highly efficient for improving iron deficiency in animals receiving the rice-based diet. These results suggest that NaFeEDTA is a suitable fortificant for fish sauce and may be effective for improving iron deficiency in developing countries.