[Soluble iron and iron available in vegetable foods].

The relation ship between the quantities of soluble iron and iron available for humans reported by other authors in seven different vegetable foods was investigated. Total iron content, soluble iron, and in some cases also phytic acid were determined. The recovery in soluble form of iron added as iron sulphate to some foods was also studied. The results were compared with those reported in the literature for the amount of iron absorbed in humans from these same foods. In some cases the quantities of soluble iron and available iron were very similar but in some others the values differed considerably. There was a marked variation in the amount of soluble iron in different samples of the some vegetable product and also the iron absorption reported from a single food in different persons. These facts may explain, at least in part, the lack of coincidence mentioned.