Ascorbic acid-enriched goat milk may be a suitable vehicle for iron fortification

Abstract Iron supplementation can promote iron repletion in iron deficient populations. Fortifying common foods with iron may be an effective strategy to facilitate iron supplementation. Goat milk has been identified as a suitable vehicle for iron fortification. The objectives of this study were to investigate the bioavailability of iron within fortified cow and goat milk using the in vitro digestion/Caco-2 cell model. Iron dialysability and bioavailability were both significantly enhanced in iron-fortified cow and goat milk samples compared to a milk-free iron supplement. The addition of ascorbic acid to iron-fortified milk samples of either species further enhanced the dialysability and bioavailability of iron. The bioavailability of iron was highest in the goat milk co-fortified with iron and ascorbic acid. The results suggest that both cow milk and goat milk may be suitable vehicles for iron fortification. Co-fortifying cow or goat milk with ascorbic acid and iron may be most effective for enhancing iron absorption.