Counteracting the inhibitory effect of tea on the in‐vitro availability of iron from cereal meals

Studies were carried out on the in‐vitro availability of iron to determine the effect of addition of tea, milk and ascorbic acid to a standard cereal meal in all possible combinations. The availability of iron from the cereal meal was low (3.92%). Tea, when added to the meal, had a significant depressing effect on available iron (2.56%). Addition of 100 mg ascorbic acid or 200 g milk completely counteracted the inhibitory effect of tea, and addition of both ascorbic acid and milk brought about an even greater enhancement in the in‐vitro availability of iron than when either was added alone. This investigation reveals that milk is as effective a factor as ascorbic acid in counteracting the depressing effect of tea on in‐vitro iron availability.