Influence of food acidulants on bioaccessibility of zinc and iron from selected food grains

Four common acidulants in Indian dietary, i. e., citric acid, tamarind (Tamarindus indica), amchur (Mangfera indica), and kokum (Garcinia indica) were examined for a possible influence on the bio-accessibility of zinc from selected food grains. Among the four acidulants examined, amchur and citric acid generally enhanced the bioaccessibility of zinc and iron from all the food grains studied. The increase in zinc bioaccessibility produced by citric acid was around 40% in rice and chickpea, while amchur produced around 60% increase from decorticated green gram. This positive influence of acidulants on zinc bioaccessibility from food grains was seen both in the raw and cooked form. Tamarind and kokum, the other two acidulants tested, generally did not have a favourable influence on zinc and iron bioaccessibility. This lack of positive influence of these two acidulants on mineral availability could be attributable to the presence of significant amounts of tannin in them. Citric acid and amchur also generally enhanced the bioaccessibility of iron from these food grains.