Milk in iron-fortified fruit juices boost absorption of the mineral

Milk when incorporated into iron-fortified fruit juices may improve uptake of the mineral, a new study published in Food Chemistry suggests.

The study at Reyes Barbera from the University of Valencia showed that milk may boost iron uptake from iron-enriched fruit juices by up to four times. It also worked better than juices formulated with casein - the major milk protein.

"The addition of milk to fruit beverages exerted a positive effect on iron retention, transport and uptake versus fruit beverages, and this effect was greater than in the case of caseinophosphopeptides added to soluble fractions of fruit beverages," wrote the researchers.

Addition of caseinophosphopeptides to soluble fractions of fruit beverages alone facilitate iron transport, according to the study.

Barbera et al. tested in vitro fruit juices including grape concentrate, orange concentrate and apricot puree enriched with iron sulphate at 3 milligrams per 100 ml fruit juice with or without skimmed milk.

The juices with skimmed milk were also compared with juices formulated with caseinophosphopeptides.

They found that milk improved the retention, transport and uptake of iron in the fruit juices and it was more effective than juices with casein protein.

The researchers acknowledged that human studies need to be carried out to confirm the potential application of milk in iron fortified fruit juices.

By David Liu and editing by Sheilah Downey