HEME IRON CONTENT IN SELECTED READY-TO-SERVE BEEF PRODUCTS

Selected ready-to-eat meat foods, e.g., beef burger, frankfurter, beef steak, and roast beef, from fastfood restaurants and groceries were analyzed for total iron, heme iron, and nonheme iron contents. The different meat products contained similar amounts of total iron. The heme iron contents (ready-to-serve basis) ranged from 16.0 to 26.9-mu-g/g for beef burger, from 6.2 to 14.6-mu-g/g for frankfurter, from 13.4 to 36.3-mu-g/g for beef steak, and from 11.3 to 23.7-mu-g/g for roast beef. Percentage heme iron ranged from 50.2 to 63.8% for these meat foods. Total iron, heme iron, percentage heme iron, and nonheme iron varied significantly (p < 0.01) among meat foods, sources, and replications.