Background Art Through their diet, human beings and animals need to get sufficient quantities of energy-generating foodstuffs and nutritive substances, for example certain types of proteins and fats, as well as vitamins and minerals, in order to cover different needs of their body. Sometimes the need for that mentioned above is especially large, for instance, as regards children since they grow quickly, women having abundant menstrual flow or pregnant women. Other examples are individuals who due to illness have an increased need as mentioned above or who are not able to utilise in the normal way nutritive substances through the diet in sufficient quantities. Iron is a nu- tritive substance for which the need is often great and, therefore, it may be difficult to provide for this need.

The iron which is found in our diet consists of two main components, so-called heme iron and nonheme iron.

Heme iron is bound to the active group in haemoglobin (blood) and myoglobin (muscular tissue), whereas nonheme iron is the remaining iron and comes from, among other things, fruit, vegetables, root crops and, especially, different cereals. When human beings eat food, iron is absorbed to a variable degree in particular in the intes- tines by various mechanisms. In the diet that we eat in the Western world, the heme iron constitutes only about 10-15 % of the total iron intake, whereas the nonheme iron constitutes the predominant part of iron in the diet. In many developing countries, the nonheme iron even

accounts for almost 100 % of the iron intake from the diet.

The two types of iron (heme iron and nonheme iron) are absorbed in different ways and to different degrees in the body. The heme iron is absorbed to about 20-30 % of the intake, whereas the absorption of the predominant nonheme iron is lower and to a large extent determined by the composition of the meal. In the diet, there are com- ponents that render the absorption of iron difficult, es- pecially phytates which are found in all types of"seed products", for instance cereals (all corn products, nuts etc.), but also in root crops. Phytates constitute a nec- essary component in the germination of seeds and the like. Another component in the diet which makes the iron absorption difficult is so-called iron-binding polyphe- nols (tannins) which, just like phytates, render the iron absorption difficult since they bind iron. Usually spe- cial ligands, for example gallolyl groups, bind the iron with a chelate bond. Said phenols are found in, for in- stance, tea, coffee, cocoa, some spices such as oregano, and also in certain vegetables and fruits. Calcium in large quantities also prevents the absorption of iron since it competes with the iron while being transported through the intestinal cells. Calcium is found in, for example, dairy products such as cheese and milk, but also as calcium salts in certain vegetables.

The need for iron is particularly large in children after the age of 4-6 months and until the age of 2 years.

When a fully developed child is born, it has a large iron store which lasts the first 4-6 months. If the nutrient supply subsequently is based on breastfeeding exclu- sively, the child will develop iron deficiency. This iron deficiency risks the child's development both mentally and motorically since it affects the development of the brain and the muscles. This may lead to permanent damage which thus cannot be repaired by subsequent iron treat- ment. The composition of the so-called weaning diet,

which is introduced during the breastfeeding and which becomes the predominant diet during the first two years of life, is therefore important as regards the child's development. First this diet consists of different sorts of gruel or porridge, types of mashed vegetables and fruits and various beverages, for example juices of or- ange and/or carrots with the purpose of satisfying the child's need for vitamin C and vitamin A. As the child grows, it gets extra calories in the form of, for in- stance, mashed potatoes and later, at least in the West- ern world, also small quantities of mashed fish and/or meat.

The disadvantage of so-called weaning diets as men- tioned above is that they are not sufficient when it comes to satisfying the child's need for iron. As a mat- ter of fact, the need for iron in a child at the age of 1/2 to 2 years is very high and can amount to about 100 ßg iron/kg body weight and day. This is 4 times as high as for the average menstruating adult woman who of- ten has difficulties in absorbing enough iron also from a balanced diet. Another target which is used is that a child at the age of one year has an iron need amounting to about 1 mg (covers 95 % of the child's total iron need) together with an energy need of about 1000 kcal, which in practice implies that the diet per 1000 kcal should give an iron absorption of about 1 mg. Unfortu- nately, the commercially available baby food products do not cater for children's critical iron situation com- pletely. One reason is that the iron compounds which are used in commercial baby food products often have an un- known bio-availability at the same time as the products often contain a large amount of phytin phosphoric acid (phytates) which inhibits the iron absorption.

The consequence of the problem described above is that a large number of small children already develop iron deficiency during their first two years of life. Re- ports from various international organisations, e. g. the

World Health Organization, confirm that one of the great challenges today is to provide in particular small chil- dren with so-called micronutrients, such as iron, zinc and calcium, where iron is in an exceptional position since it plays an important part for children's mental and motoric development.

In addition, also the increasing number of elderly people often need dietary supplements of various types.

One reason may be an increased need for high-grade pro- tein or a poor dental status resulting in difficulties in chewing. It is uncertain if the milk proteins and soy proteins that at present are being most used give enough balanced high-grade proteins.

As a consequence of the life style of today involv- ing little physical activity and relatively bad eating habits, a great many people have become overweight and wish to lose weight. The slimming additive preparations which are found on the market often contain soy protein and milk protein which cannot entirely satisfy the body's need for high-grade proteins and minerals, such as iron.

Active sportsmen and sportswomen may also have dif- ficulties in satisfying their increased need for nutri- ents by means of an ordinary diet only. Therefore, vari- ous nutritional additive preparations, for example die- tary supplements or mineral supplements, are used. High- grade protein and iron are especially important for teen- agers who practise sports and who are building up their musculature.

During the last few years also the use of enteral supply of nutrition by tubes has increased dramatically both in hospitals and at home. The enteral nutrition is actually a further development of dietary supplements which are taken orally and parenteral dietary supplements which are given intravenously. For a long time the intra- venous supply was the only way to satisfy the need for nutrients in patients who were severely ill. Nowadays, the enteral nutritional supply by tubes through the nose

to the stomach or the intestine is not used only for se- riously ill patients in hospitals, but also for out- patients having difficulties in swallowing or patients being in great need of proteins, for example, in connec- tion with severe skin burn. However, one problem of tube feeding is to develop a satisfactory quality and pulveri- sation of the proteins which are supplied by the tube.

Summary of the Invention One object of the present invention is a prepara- tion, especially an additive preparation, containing dried material of animal origin, the preparation result- ing in increased absorption of iron when a mammal, for instance a human being, takes the preparation. The in- creased iron absorption is obtained by the preparation stimulating the absorption of iron in the body, where the iron can originate from the preparation itself (since the preparation contains iron) and/or from at least one other iron source.

Other objects of the invention are the use of the above-described preparation in various foodstuffs (food- stuff products) and/or as a supplement to different meals or products before intake.

Another object of the invention is the manufacturing of the above-described preparation.

Yet another object of the invention is foodstuffs containing dried material, especially finely divided dried material, of animal origin, which leads to in- creased absorption of iron when a mammal eats the food- stuff since the preparation itself adds iron and/or stimulates the absorption of iron, above all nonheme iron, from the preparation per se and/or at least one other iron source.

A further object of the invention is pharmaceutical preparations containing dried material, especially finely divided dried material, of animal origin, the material resulting in increased iron absorption when a mammal

takes the pharmaceutical preparation. The increased iron absorption is caused by the material stimulating the body's absorption of iron on the one hand from the mate- rial itself and, on the other, from other iron sources.

Yet another object of the invention is use of dried material which is rich in iron and is of animal origin, for manufacturing a pharmaceutical preparation with the purpose of treating iron deficiency.

A further object of the invention is a method for increasing a mammal's iron absorption, according to which dried, preferably freeze-dried, finely divided material of animal origin is administered to said mammal.

The advantage of all the variants of the invention according to that mentioned above is that the dried mate- rial of animal origin stimulates the iron absorption of the body, i. e. improves the iron absorption. The stimu- lating effect can be obtained, for instance, from dried meat, but also from animal products which in practice are free from iron. Consequently, the animal material primar- ily functions as a stimulator of the iron absorption.

There is thus no inevitable requirement that the material itself should be rich in iron, but the effect is consid- erably improved when the material itself also supplies iron, which results in the material decidedly stimulating the mammal's absorption of iron, both iron from the preparation itself and iron from other sources.

As regards meat, in the first place it supplies heme iron which is easily absorbed and, in the second, the meat stimulates the absorption of nonheme iron from the diet. Just like meat, fish and shellfish also have the capacity of stimulating the absorption of nonheme iron significantly, but do not contain heme iron to any appre- ciable extent.

In the diet there are also (as mentioned previously in the background section) components which make the ab- sorption of iron in the diet more difficult, in particu- lar of the important nonheme iron. By adding dried animal

material, for example meat or fish, the retarding compo- nents are counterbalanced and the absorption of iron in- creases considerably. Preferably, the stimulating effect of meat is found in the muscles of meat, i. e. its muscle fibres. It has been found that the capacity of meat of triggering the iron absorption also remains, for example, after it has been boiled.

By adding ascorbic acid together with the animal ma- terial, the absorption of iron in the body can be further reinforced.

Since the animal material, for example slaughter- house products, meat, fish and/or shellfish, is dried (e. g. by means of freeze-drying, vacuum-drying, air- drying or heating in an oven or the like), the supply of animal protein together with the rest of the diet is fa- cilitated, among other things, by reducing the volume of the material, at the same time as the advantages men- tioned above remain. In addition, a considerably better storage capacity is obtained of the slaughterhouse prod- ucts, the meat, the fish and/or the shellfish in compari- son with meat that has been processed differently.

Freeze-drying allows a more or less direct pulveri- sation of the meat, the fish and/or the shell fish, for example, in the form of a powder or a fine-grained granu- late, after which the powder or the granulate can be used separately in or together with other additive prepara- tions, foodstuffs or products.

One advantage of freeze-drying is that chemical changes and loss of volatile substances from the food- stuff are avoided, which involves that the freeze-dried animal material apart from its capacity of improving the iron situation also can preserve other important sub- stances seen from a nutritional point of view.

The actual freeze-drying process can very well be preceded by some sort of pre-treatment, e. g. boiling, frying, roasting, smoking and/or seasoning without the

actual carrying out of the subsequent freeze-drying being complicated.

The advantage of using an additive preparation to- gether with and/or in baby food (tinned food), different types of porridge and gruel is that infants in a smooth and easy way can be provided with the necessary and suf- ficient quantities of animal protein together with the rest of the diet and, above all, are provided with a stimulator of the iron absorption. Other advantages are that the nutritive value of baby food products increases and that the iron situation is improved considerably in the child as the absorption of iron increases. According to the invention, the same volume of baby food also has a considerably higher iron content per se than traditional baby food. The risk that children develop iron deficiency is thus reduced. Examples of baby food or food for in- fants are different types of mashed products, porridge and gruel as well as various purées which are often canned or available in tubes.

One advantage of using, for example, freeze-dried meat or freeze-dried fish for tube feeding is that the quality of the protein in the gruels for tube feeding in- creases considerably since, for instance, freeze-dried fish powder is a much higher-grade protein than, for ex- ample, milk protein.

People who for various reasons have difficulties in chewing and/or swallowing their food, for instance, eld- erly people having a poor dental status or people who are subjected to a demanding medical treatment, can according to the invention also be provided with an appropriate diet and improve their iron situation.

Another category of products which can comprise or be supplied with dried, especially freeze-dried, meat, dried fish or shellfish according to the invention is health additive preparations, nutritional additive prepa- rations and different forms of slimming products, for ex- ample in the form of powder, with the purpose of further

increasing the nutritive value of such products and of supplying a stimulator for the iron absorption. Finely divided, preferably freeze-dried meat and/or fish powder which is used in different diet products can also be used together with other proteins. In addition, the dried ani- mal protein also contributes to a feeling of satiety ap- pearing much quicker than usual.

The nutritional additive preparations are above all intended for the treatment of pre-operative and post- operative malnutrition, especially as regards children, elderly people, people having skin burns and patients go- ing through cancer treatment, where an appropriate diet is important.

Additive preparations which are used together with and/or in various food preparations, soups, sauces and gravies, dressings, seasoning mixtures or taste enhan- cers, for example ketchup and tomato paste, do not only increase the nutritive value but can also contribute to improving taste and consistency.

The above-mentioned advantages are obtained also by means of a foodstuff and a pharmaceutical preparation.

Detailed Description of the Invention In the first place, the present invention relates to drying of a material of animal origin (animal protein) which in a second step consists of an additive prepara- tion, a foodstuff and/or a pharmaceutical preparation.

The purpose of the additive preparation, the foodstuff and/or the pharmaceutical preparation is to be able to supply a material which on the one hand can stimulate the ability of the body to absorb iron and, on the other, can provide the body with extra iron. The animal material thus functions per se as a stimulator of the absorption of iron in the body, where the iron originates from the additive preparation, the foodstuff and/or the pharmaceu- tical preparation per se and other iron sources in the diet.

Experiments have shown that freeze-dried meat func- tions as a stimulator for the absorption of iron in the body, addition of meat powder, for example to baby food products, being of considerable importance for the nutri- tive value of the product as regards iron.

The term additive preparation is in this description comprised by an additive and a preparation, the aim of which above all is to add or supply a stimulator to a foodstuff, a dish or a product. In the description, the term drying comprises freeze-drying, vacuum-drying, air- drying and heating of the animal material, for instance in an oven.

Briefly, traditional freeze-drying or sublimation drying involves drying of a product in a frozen condition where the ice is directly converted into vapour without passing through the liquid state. A freeze-drying plant usually consists of freezing equipment, a drying chamber and a condenser having a vacuum pump. Preferably, the freeze-drying process according to the invention takes place in a traditional way at a slightly increased tem- perature, for instance 50°C, and at a high negative pres- sure. The high negative pressure results in a very finely divided powder. The fact that the material when being used is finely divided also contributes to the positive effects mentioned above.

In this description, the term animal material com- prises all material (biological material) which origi- nates from the animal kingdom but, above all, products from slaughterhouses, fish and shellfish, such as shrimp, crab, lobster and crayfish. The term slaughterhouse prod- ucts comprises products from slaughterhouses, especially meat, i. e. (skeleton) musculature with naturally included fatty and connective tissue from which large tendons and visible fat have suitably been removed. Preferably, the slaughterhouse products come from, for example, cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, game and/or poultry (e. g. chicken).

It should be added that blood does not have a stimulating effect on the iron absorption.

Fish means especially basic materials of fish but also fish products (products which are mainly based on fish), such as fish-balls, fish pates/pies or the like and various forms of shellfish which also have the capa- bility of stimulating the absorption of iron originating from a meal. The fish may be found both in the form of an entire part such as fillet, cutlet or the like. Moreover, the fish can be prepared by i. e. boiling, smoking or fry- ing. Eel is also reckoned as fish.

In this description, the term stimulate comprises increasing, intensifying, activating and improving. Since the animal material has the above-mentioned effect, the material per se functions as a stimulator, activator and "trigger"of absorption of iron in the body.

The fact that the material also stimulates the ab- sorption of iron from at least one other iron source (in- creases the bio-availability of iron) involves iron that is found in some other foodstuff which is consumed in connection with a meal or food/comestibles that are al- ready present in the body, e. g. in the stomach or the gastro-intestinal canal.

In the present invention it is above all muscular tissue that has been found to facilitate the absorption of iron.

In this description, the term prepare (before dry- ing) comprises some form of pre-treatment of, for exam- ple, meat or fish, for instance by frying, boiling, grilling or roasting.

In this description, the term finely divided also comprises a fine-grained powder. For instance, by grind- ing or chopping the dried meat to a fine powder, the vol- ume of the animal material is reduced.

The term baby food here comprises food, the composi- tion of which is especially adapted to children's nutri- tional requirements. The food that children eat during

their first years of life is also comprised in the term baby food. Initially, children are often given vegetable purées and fruit purées and by degrees small servings of boiled fish or meat. At the age of 6 months potato purées and vegetable purées mixed with fish or meat in a finely divided form constitute the child's main meal. Desserts often consist of pulped fruit or fruit soup. Baby food in the form of complete meals is often sold in pots.

In this description, the term gruel also comprises gruel powder.

Types of porridges mean foodstuffs which have, or by preparation obtain, an often somewhat stodgy and viscous consistency. Known examples are oatmeal porridge and semolina pudding.

Tube food means enteral nutrient supply through a tube, for example through the nose to the stomach or in- testine.

Feedstuff means food, the composition of which is especially adapted to the nutritional requirements of animals. Animals which exercise heavy physical work, i. e. trotting horses, jumping horses and animals which are in- tended only for breeding (and slaughter), e. g. cows, pigs, chickens and hens are all in a particularly great need of a complete diet.

Health food means foodstuffs which are often spe- cially cultivated with the purpose of preventing them from being exposed to, for example, biocides. This form of diet should be as unprocessed as possible. Examples of products are everything from vegetarian alternatives to meat products, naturopathic medical preparations and die- tary supplements containing vitamins and mineral sub- stances.

Nutritional supplements mean nutritional additive preparations or dietary supplements which are taken by people who are in a particularly great need of nutritive substances, for example, iron.

Diet products involve a diet, i. e. food and bever- age, that is specifically composed. In this case, the diet essentially consists of the constituents protein, carbohydrates, fat and vitamins, trace elements, water and roughage. For various reasons some people need to add certain components in especially large quantities or need to avoid other ones. Diet products can be, for instance, products which are particularly adapted for diabetics or people who for various reasons desire to lose weight (these preparations are often on sale in shops as so- called slimming preparations) or who are ill. In certain cases special diet forms may be necessary, e. g. supply of liquid food and/or a diet consisting of purées.

A preparation product implies a preparation which should be an aid after a manufacturing process, for exam- ple heating or cooking, with a view to giving the fin- ished articles or products their desired properties, e. g. milk or maizena.

Soups refer to soups containing vegetables, meat, fish, shellfish and/or fruit.

A taste enhancer relates to a foodstuff which is of- ten added to heighten the taste sensation. Examples of taste enhancers are various spices/spice mixtures, ketchup, gravies and dressings.

If, for some reason, there would arise problems of compatibility or problems associated with storage of foodstuffs containing dried material of animal origin, the material can be mixed into e. g. baby food, infant formula, gruel, porridge, diet products, additive prepa- rations, meals from a separate package, and/or optionally together with ascorbic acid.

The expression"together with"involves both to- gether with another product (separation) and/or in an- other product. For example, that mentioned above does not necessarily mean that an additive preparation has to be in the product, for example gruel powder, from the start but can very well be added later and separately, for in-

stance, on the actual occasion of use (a two-component system).

Foodstuff means a product which can be used in food or drink. A foodstuff can either be eaten directly or be prepared in different ways before being consumed. In this connection also feeding stuff or nutritional supplements for animals, e. g. birds, cattle, sheep, pigs, goats, horses, dogs and cats, are included in the notion of foodstuff.

Pharmaceutical preparations according to the inven- tion can also be used for treating or preventing iron de- ficiency and may be administered, preferably orally.

In addition, the term pharmaceutical preparations here comprises functional food (foodstuff having an in- creased value) and medical food, which is intended for individuals or patients with special nutritional require- ments and is not always supplied by an ordinary diet.

The pharmaceutical preparation according to the pre- sent invention can also comprise other substances such as an inert vehicle or pharmaceutically acceptable adju- vance, carriers, preservatives etc., which are well-known to those skilled in the art.

The pharmaceutical preparation according to the pre- sent invention is above all intended for treating iron deficiency. Treating here means both treatment having a curing or alleviating purpose and treatment having a pre- ventive purpose. The treatment can be made either acutely or chronically.

The term nonheme iron comprises all forms of iron which are not heme iron. Further, it should be noted that the term nonheme iron ("ickehemjarn") used in the de- scription corresponds to a previously used term in the form of nonheme iron ("nonhamjarn") (derived from the English word non-).

Examples In the following, the invention will be described in more detail by way of example, whereby the examples should not limit the scope of the invention.

In the examples references are made to the subse- quent tables, in which Table 1 shows the absorption of nonheme iron in wholemeal porridge with and without addition of freeze- dried meat, Table 2 shows the absorption of nonheme iron and heme iron in wholemeal porridge containing 20 g of freeze-dried meat, Table 3 shows the absorption of nonheme iron in wholemeal porridge with and without meat and ascorbic acid, and Table 4 shows the absorption of nonheme iron and heme iron, respectively, when adding 20 g of meat and 20 mg of ascorbic acid to a porridge mixture.

Experiments In the following experiments, freeze-dried meat to- gether with a baby food product is used to study the ef- fect of an additive preparation containing dried animal material in and/or together with a foodstuff (or a dish) with respect to the absorption of iron in the body. By using two different radioactive iron isotopes, the meas- urements were made possible.

In all the experiments a usual commercial product of baby food porridge was used. A condition for the product was that it had to be free from additives of iron and ascorbic acid. The same quantity of iron and ferrous sul- phate was added to the porridge powder so that each help- ing contained 2 mg of iron as well as of ferrous sulphate (including 0.8 mg native Fe which was included in the na- tive product). The prepared meals were marked with radio- active 59Fe or 55Fe. The meat consisted of freeze-dried fillet of beef which was free from tendons and had been

freeze-dried and finely divided by a pestle to a fine pink powder. In some cases the meat was marked with ra- dioactive haemoglobin (produced by AstraZeneca). In the respective experiments, the quantities of freeze-dried meat powder and/or ascorbic acid were varied in a suit- able manner. The subjects of the experiments consisted of students and male blood donors of different ages.

In experiment 1 the effect of 20 g of freeze-dried fillet of beef in the form of powder was studied with re- spect to the absorption of nonheme iron from so-called wholemeal porridge. Two separate studies were carried out, one study where the absorption of nonheme iron was measured when the wholemeal porridge (also containing ce- reals and milk) was given as a pure porridge mixture and one study where a porridge mixture had been supplied with 20 g of meat powder. The two types of porridge A and B were administered on an empty stomach in the morning 4 days in a row, either in the order ABBA or BAAB. The porridge types A and B were marked with two different iron isotopes, 55Fe and 59Fe, respectively.

After two weeks (after the latest porridge serving) a so-called whole-body measurement of absorbed 59Fe was carried out. It should be noted that the weak X-ray ra- diation of 55Fe cannot be seen by the whole-body counter.

In connection with the whole-body measurement of 59Fe also a blood sample was drawn with the purpose of determining 55Fe and 59Fe. With the aid of the ratio 55Fe/59Fe in the sample of blood and the total retention of 59Fe, the total retention of 55Fe was determined.

Subsequently, a so-called reference dose of Fe, 3 mg of ferrous iron together with ascorbic acid was added, the added iron being marked with 59Fe. The same dose was also given on an empty stomach the following morning and no food or drink was given for three hours.

After two weeks a new measurement of 59Fe was car- ried out to determine the retention of iron in the refer- ence dose. The reference dose showed each individual's

capacity of absorbing iron. By correcting each individ- ual's absorption values in respect of iron by means of the absorption from the reference dose, the results from different individuals could be related to one another. In addition, important results were obtained from groups of individuals and corrected for differences in iron status.

Table 1 shows the absorption of iron from said ce- real-milk-porridge on the one hand when the porridge was given separately and, on the other, when the porridge was given together with 20 g of extra meat. The results in Table 1 show that the porridge mixture containing freeze- dried meat stimulates the absorption of nonheme iron in the body. 20 g of meat increased the absorption of non- heme iron by about 41 %.

In experiment 2,20 g of freeze-dried meat was given together with the wholemeal porridge, after which the to- tal absorption of both nonheme iron and heme iron was studied. Table 2 shows that the total absorption of non- heme iron when meat was given together with the meal was 0.62 mg. The increase in the absorption of nonheme iron from 0.42 mg in experiment 1 to 0.62 mg in experiment 2 shows that the added freeze-dried meat also has the ca- pacity of stimulating the absorption of nonheme iron from other sources in the diet. The total absorption of heme iron in the diet amounted to 0.27 mg, the heme iron from 20 g of meat being absorbed to 16.9 %. Totally, 0.89 mg iron was absorbed per 1000 kcal.

In experiment 3, the absorption of nonheme iron was studied on the one hand in a basic meal having the same composition as in experiment 1 and, on the other, when the same meal contained meat powder (20 g) as well as ascorbic acid (20 mg). Table 3 shows that the basic meal (without meat and ascorbic acid) which was marked with 55Fe gave the same value as in experiment 1, cf. Tables 1 and 3. Simultaneous addition of meat powder (correspond- ing to 20 g meat) and 20 mg ascorbic acid increased the absorption of nonheme iron to 0.88 mg.

In experiment 4, the absorption of both nonheme iron and heme iron which were marked with one isotope each (59Fe and 55Fe, respectively) was studied in a meal simi- lar to that in experiment 3 when simultaneously supplying freeze-dried meat powder (20 g, 55Fe) and vitamin C (20 mg). The total absorption of nonheme iron, which in this experiment was a result of both meat powder and ascorbic acid, constituted 6.48 % or amounted to 0.65 mg.

The measured absorption of heme iron was 0.195 mg/day.

Concerning the supplied meat (20 g meat containing 0.32 mg heme iron) the absorption of heme iron was 12.2 % of the supplied heme iron. The total absorption per 1000 kcal amounted to 0.843.

The experiments have shown that freeze-dried meat functions as a stimulator for the absorption of iron in the body, in which case addition of meat powder, for ex- ample to baby food products, is crucial for the nutri- tional value of the product, especially as regards iron (meat also adds heme iron).

It should be understood that many modifications of the embodiments described above are possible, as defined in the appended claims.

Table 1: Effect of freeze-dried meat with respect to the absorption of nonheme iron<BR> Experiment 1 Wholemental porridge with and without 20 g meat Test 59 55 WBC 59 Ratio Wbc/Blood Corr 55 Ref 59 corr 55 corr Ratio Ratio Total abs Total abs subjects blood blood % blood 59 for WBC dose % ref % ref % abs abs nonheme nonheme % % 59/55 % 59/55 55/59 iron (mg) iron (mg) without with meat meat 1 1.6 1.8 3.5 0.889 2.1875 3.9375 21.4 6.54206 7.35981 0.8889 1.125 0.73598131 0.65420561 2 4.6 3.5 5 1.314 1.086957 3.80435 65.9 3.0349 2.30916 1.3143 0.76087 0.23091641 0.30349014 3 3.2 2.1 3.3 1.524 1.03125 2.16563 34.8 3.7931 2.48922 1.5238 0.65625 0.24892241 0.37931034 4 6 5.3 6.7 1.132 1.116667 5.91833 51.7 5.18375 4.57898 1.321 0.88333 0.45789813 0.51837524 5 1.9 1 1.8 1.9 0.947368 0.94737 35.6 2.02247 1.06446 1.9 0.52632 0.10644589 0.20224719 6 12.5 10.4 12 1.202 0.96 9.984 80. 5.96273 4.96099 1.2019 0.832 0.49609938 0.59627329 7 2.5 1.3 2.5 1.923 1 1.3 34.7 2.88184 1.49856 1.9231 0.52 0.14985591 0.28818444 Mean value 4.614 3.629 4.971 1.412 1.077399 4.00817 46.371 4.20298 3.46588 1.412 0.75768 0.34658849 0.42029804 Table 2: Separate analysis of nonheme iron and heme iron<BR> Experiment 2 Wholemental porridge with 20 g meat Test 59 55 WBC 59 Ratio Wbc/Blood Corr 55 Rof 59 corr 55 corr Ratio Ratio Total abs Abs of heme Total abs subjects blood blood % blood 59 for WBC dose % ref % ref % abs abs nonheme iron mg/day per/1000 kcal % % 59/55 % 59/55 55/59 iron mg/day 1 11.1 21.2 12.1 0.524 1.09009 23.1099 40 12.1 23.1099 0.5236 1.90991 1.21 0.36975856 1.5797585 2 6.6 11.3 9.1 0.584 1.378788 15.5803 77 4.72727 8.09366 0.5841 1.71212 0.47272727 0.12949862 0.6022225895 3 3.9 16.9 3.8 0.231 0.974359 16.4667 38.6 3.93782 17.0639 0.2308 4.33333 0.39378238 0.27302245 0.666804836 4 10.8 14.7 11.3 0.735 1.046296 15.3806 64.6 6.9969 9.2356 0.7347 1.36111 0.6996904 0.15237702 0.852067423 5 9 37.4 8.5 0.241 0.944444 35.3222 7.1 5.95447 24.7441 0.2406 4.15556 0.59544658 0.39590582 6 4.2 9.5 5.1 0.442 1.214286 11.5357 32.8 6.21951 14.0679 0.4421 2.2619 0.62195122 0.2208711 7 3 11.9 3.2 0.252 1.066667 12.6933 27.9 4.58781 18.1983 0.2521 3.96667 0.45878136 0.29117324 8 4.2 17.2 4.3 0.244 1.02381 17.6095 34.1 5.04399 20.6563 0.2442 4.09524 0.50439883 0.33050133 Mean value 6.6 17.51 7.175 0.407 1.092342 18.4623 46.513 6.19597 16.9322 0.4065 2.97448 0.61959726 0.27091552 Table 3: Measurement of the absorption of nonheme iron with and without meat and ascorbic acid<BR> Experiment 3 Wholemeal porridge with and without 20 g meat and 20 mg ascorbic acid (AS) Test 59 55 WBC 59 Ratio Wbc/Blood Corr 55 Ref 59 corr 55 corr Ratio Ratio Total abs Total abs subjects blood blood % blood 59 for WBC dose % ref % ref % abs abs nonheme iron nonheme iron % % 59/55 % 59/55 55/59 (mg) without (mg) with heme iron and heme iron and AS AS 1 6.4 2.8 8.7 2.286 1.359375 3.80625 44.7 7.78523 3.40604 2.2857 0.4375 0.34060403 0.77852349 2 6.5 2.7 9.6 2.407 1.476923 3.98769 60.5 6.34711 2.63649 2.4074 0.41538 0.26364908 0.63471074 3 5.3 1.6 5.1 3.313 0.962264 1.53962 10.6 19.2453 5.8099 3.3125 0.30189 0.58098698 1.9245283 4 15.5 6.7 15.1 2.313 0.974194 6.5271 31.4 19.2357 8.31477 2.3134 0.43226 0.8314773 1.92356688 5 1.9 0.9 2.7 2.111 1.421053 1.27895 15.1 7.15232 3.38794 2.1111 0.47368 0.338794 0.71523179 6 3 1.6 2.8 1.875 0.933333 1.49333 31.8 3.52201 1.87841 1.87 0.5333 0.18784067 0.35220126 7 7.1 4.6 7.6 1.543 1.070423 4.92394 83.8 3.62768 2.35033 1.5435 0.64789 0.23503311 0.3627685 8 12.5 5 16.6 2.5 1.328 6.64 59.7 11.1223 4.44891 2.5 0.4 0.44489112 1.11222781 9 2.5 1.5 1.8 1.667 0.72 1.08 45.5 1.58242 0.94945 1.6667 0.6 0.09494505 0.15824176 Mean value 6.744 3.044 7.78 2.224 1.138396 3.47521 42.567 8.846674 3.68692 2.2239 0.47133 0.36869156 0.88466673 Table 4: Measurement of the absorption of heme iron (55Fe) and nonheme iron (59Fe) when adding meat (20g 55Fe) and vitamin C (20 mg)<BR> Experiment 4 Wholemen tporridge with 20 g meat and 20 mg ascorbic acid (AS) Test 59 55 WBC 59 Ratio Wbc/Blood Corr 55 Ref 59 corr 55 corr Ratio Ratio Total ABS nonneme ABS neme subjects blood blood % blood 59 for WBC dose % ref % ref % abs abs iron (mg0 (mg) with mg/1000 kcal % % 59/55 % 59/55 55/59 with heme heme iron and iron and AS AS 1 1.6 9.6 2 6 1.25 12 45.3 7.766 10.596 0.7329 1.36441 0.77660044 0.16953642 0.946136865 2 7.9 12.4 8.6 1.57 1.088608 13.4987 29.8 11.5436 18.1191 0.6371 1.56962 1.15436242 0.2899057 3 12.6 15.5 17.6 1.23 1.396825 21.6508 84.5 8.33136 10.2489 0.8129 1.23016 0.83313609 0.16398234 0.997118437 4 1.6 6.7 2.6 4.188 1.625 10.8875 37.7 2.75862 11.5517 0.2388 4.1875 0.27586207 0.18482759 0.460689655 5 4.2 12.6 4.3 3 1.02381 12.9 33.8 5.08876 15.2663 0.3333 3 0.5088774 0.24426036 0.753136095 6 9.3 16.4 10.2 1.763 1.096774 17.9871 84.8 4.81132 8.48448 0.5671 1.763344 0.48113208 0.1375167 7 5.2 12.3 6 2.365 1.153846 14.1923 60.6 3.9604 9.36786 0.4228 2.36538 0.3960396 0.14988576 8 19.6 23.5 18 1.199 0.918367 21.5816 64 11.25 13.4885 0.834 1.19898 1.125 0.21581633 9 1.7 7.7 2.3 4.529 1.352941 10.4176 32.8 2.80488 12.7044 0.2208 4.2941 0.2804878 0.20327116 Mean value 7.078 12.97 7.956 2.872 1.211797 15.0129 52.589 6.47944 12.203 0.5333 2.35655 0.64794403 0.19524859