Bovine meats exhibit low variations in total iron content, with more than 60% of it consisting of heme iron.
Experimental Study Haem Iron Iron Deficiency
Two 4-month-year-old calves were injected with radioactive iron (55Fe), and then, samples were taken from the principal cuts of meat and major organs. The collected samples underwent acid digestion and their iron content was observed using atomic absorption spectrophotometry. In an overlapping process, another set of duplicate samples were analyzed for the concentration of 55Fe via a double isotopic method.
In the discussion of results, it was observed that the all cuts of meat had a consistent level of total iron (TFe). The amount of heme iron (HeFe) was found to represent more than 60% of TFe in meat, and varying larger proportions in different organs. The spleen held the highest HeFe proportion, whilst the liver contained the lowest. There was a notable amount of the radioisotope found in the blood, with minimal amounts found in muscle and organs.
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