Authors: Sanni, S. A., Oguntona, C. R. B. and Bamgbose, A. M.

Abstract

The need to eradicate nutritional anemia with local diet is important for a successful intervention at the community level in Nigeria. Fufu fortified with iron sulphate, iron fumarate and sodium iron EDTA at three concentrations (25, 35 and 45 mg/kg) was used as starch-based rat diets. The samples were analyzed for iron contents using standard method. Haemoglobin depletion-repletion method was used to determine iron bioavailability in 120 male albino Winster rats for unfortified and iron-fortified fufu diets. Organs of experimental rats were subjected to histophatological assessment. Iron contents ofunfortified samples ranged from 8.50 to 11.36 mg/kg compared to iron contents of fortified fufu samples ranging from 11.00 to 32.00 mg/kg. Haemoglobin concentrations ranged from 5.80 to 14.97 g/dl and from 10.72 to 13.67 g/dl for rats fed unfortified and fortified fufu diets, respectively. Haemoglobin iron ranged from 0.97 to 2.82 mg and from 1.72 to 2.73 mg for rats fed unfortified and fortified diets, respectively. Packed cell volume ranged from 34.30 to 42.02% and from 29 to 41% for rats fed unfortified and fortified diets, respectively. The apparent iron absorption for rats fed unfortified diet was 72.89% and for rats fed fortified diets 76.72-83.37% (p < 0.05). Iron balance of rats fed unfortified diets was 1.99 mg compared with 2.50 to 3.96 mg for rats fed fortified diets. Iron availability for rats fed unfortified diets was 17.46% compared with 29.15 to 48.77% for rats fed fortified diets. The highest bioavailability percent was recorded for rats fed diets fortified with NaFeEDTA 45 mg/kg. There was direct positive relationship of iron availability with haemoglobin gain (r = 0.93, p < 0.01) and haemoglobin iron gain (r = 0.94, p < 0.01) for rats fed fufu diets. The histopathological assessment revealed no visible lesions on the liver of rats fed unfortified or iron-fortified cassava diets.
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