Co-products of beef processing enhance non-haem iron absorption in an in vitro digestion/caco-2 cell model |
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Authors: | Elisabeth A A O'Flaherty Paraskevi Tsermoula Eileen E O'Neill Nora M O'Brien |
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Affiliation: | School of Food and Nutritional Sciences, University College Cork, Western Road, Cork, T12 YN60 Ireland |
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Abstract: | Beef processing produces high volumes of protein rich, low value, ‘waste’ co-products such as offal. Beef improves uptake of low bioavailable non-haem iron (found in vegetables, fortificants, supplements) and this effect is dubbed the ‘meat-factor’, although the underlying mechanism is not fully understood. Here, we investigate whether bovine co-products (kidney, lung, heart) not previously studied share this enhancing potential. This was determined by coupled in vitro digestion of co-products and subsequent caco-2 cell ferritin formation (an intracellular iron storage protein). In this study we show that bovine co-products significantly increase caco-2 cells’ response to non-haem iron from infant rice cereal. The presence of these co-products, (kidney, lung and heart), increased relative uptake (by 207.13%, 171.21%, 265.28%, respectively), to a greater extent than beef (30.23%). Our findings present a novel function for co-products of beef processing that may have potential as food ingredients to improve non-haem iron bioavailability, thus adding value. |
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Keywords: | Bovine ferritin heart iron bioavailability kidney lung meat-factor non-haem offal valorisation |
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