Enriched sorghum cookies with biofortified sweet potato carotenoids have good acceptance and high iron bioavailability

- Sorghum cookies are rich in carotenoids and phenolic compounds.
- Addition of the biofortified sweet potato carotenoids improve sorghum cookies acceptability.
- Enriched cookies show high iron bioavailability and can help in the anemia control.
- The extruded enriched cookie increased the proteins expression of iron metabolism.
- Cookies with phenolic compounds and carotenoides show high plasma total antioxidant capacity.

Aim was to evaluate acceptability and iron bioavailability of enriched sorghum cookies with biofortified sweet potato carotenoids. Acceptability and chemical composition were analyzed in four formulations with dry or extruded sorghum and its combination with high carotenoid sweet potato. Enriched cookies presented the highest acceptance as well as nutritional quality, and they were used to measure iron bioavailability by depletion/repletion. The animals fed with Fe-free diet during three weeks were divided in three groups for two weeks: ferrous sulphate control and two tests with the enriched cookies (DEC-D, EEC-D). Hemoglobin were similar among experimental groups and the enzymes expression related to iron metabolism increased in the duodenum of EEC-D. TAC in plasma was similar between test groups and higher when compared to the control. Therefore, biofortified sweet potato carotenoids increased nutritional and sensory quality of the cookies allowing potential action as functional food to reduce risk of iron deficiency anemia.

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