Heme, ferritin and vegetable iron absorption in humans from meals denatured of heme iron during the cooking of beef.

The iron absorption from heme, ferritin and vegetable foods was tested in 63 humans (10 males and 53 females). The iron absorption from heme in beef exposed to prolonged heating was markedly reduced, following the degree of denaturation of the heme. The iron absorption from ferritin was about 31% of the absorption of the reference dose when administered with meat alone, falling to 11% of the reference dose when administered in a meal containing meat and vegetable foods. The absorption of ferritin iron was less than half that of vegetable iron. The data confirm a previous proposal that ferritin forms part of a subgroup of the non-heme iron pool.