Järnberikning av alfalfagroddar

Sammanfattning: Iron is a micronutrient that a lot of people all over the world lack to some extent. Researching new ways to enrich food may be a part of the future food industry. One way is to enrich the crops we grow. Hence, with the help of ascorbic acid as a pH adjustor and ironcitrate, tries have been made to enrich alfalfa sprouts. Sprouting as a method is also a good way to break down antinutrients in seeds, such as phytic acid which otherwise decrease the absorption of iron in the body. Small amounts of daily ascorbic acid can greatly increase the absorption of iron, as one of its properties is to reduce Fe3+ to Fe2+, which is the type of iron that the body can easily absorb. Results from the conducted study shows that 0,5% added iron at pH 5,8 (which is the optimal pH for plant growth in a nutrient solution) more than doubled the amount of iron compared to the data that is available on Livsmedelsverket. Spectrophotometry is the method used to analyse the sprouts, which is a tried and tested method to analyse iron contents. Eating supplements and well marketed Health products is a norm today. The thought process behind this study is to open for thought of going back to the source, to eat fruit and vegetables instead of supplements. If one can also enrich fruits and vegetables to combat the deficiencies that may come from them, that is a step in the right direction. However, it is currently illegal to market fruit and vegetables as enriched, as it might confuse the consumer. Perhaps it is time for a change of the laws regarding this?