Bioavailability to rats of iron and zinc in calcium-iron-phytate and calcium-zinc-phytate complexes

The bioavailability of iron in Fephytate and Ca₃Fephytate and of zinc in Zn₂phytate and Ca₄Zn₂phytate was assayed in rats. Hemoglobin response was the same to the iron of Fephytate as the reference iron compound, Fe(NH₄)₂(SO₄)₂.6H₂) but the response to iron of Ca₃Fephytate was significantly less than to both Fephytate and the reference. The zinc of Zn₂phytate and Ca₄Zn₂phytate promoted growth as effectively as did ZnSO₄. The femur bone zinc response to Ca₃Zn₂phytate and Zn₂phytate did not differ significantly but the femur zinc responses to both complexes were significantly less than to ZnSO₄. In contrast to iron, calcium in a preformed calcium-zinc-phytate complex appears to have no significant effect on the bioavailability to rats of the zinc in the complex.