Iron in cornflakes

Many elements such as iron are essential to maintain a healthy existence; however, many people are still iron deficient.  With a drive towards healthier lifestyles, manufacturers are increasingly fortifying their food products, and we can see this clearly in the cereals market.

In a recent study at Diamond, scientists from the University of Warwick took two leading brands of breakfast cereal to determine the speciation of the iron present and therefore the level of absorption into the body.

Using synchrotron iron K-edge X-ray absorption near-edge spectroscopy on Diamond’s I18 research instrument, scientists were able to probe the oxidation state and local coordination environment of targeted elements within a sample to provide information on the chemical speciation.

Take a look at what they discovered.