Iron content of infant diets cooked in iron utensils

Iron deficiency is the most frequent form of nutritional anemia, and infants represent one of the major risk groups. The present study was meant to evaluate the iron content of infant diets cooked in iron utensils and in aluminum utensils prepared by volunteer mothers at home. The iron content was analyzed by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The increase of iron in diets cooked in iron utensils was 12 to 44 times greater than in diets cooked in aluminum utensils. The pH and moisture of the diets cooked in the two types of utensils did not differ in a statistically significant manner. On the basis of these results, it was estimated that the increase in daily iron supply obtained by cooking the diet in iron utensils would be sufficient to satisfy the iron requirements of infants.