Iron Bioavailability of Hand‐deboned and Mechanically Deboned Beef

Iron content and bioavailability of mechanically‐deboned (MD) and hand‐deboned (HD) beef was investigated. Shank and plate bones with residual meat from utility grade animals were treated by both deboning processes. Iron content of MD meats was higher than HD meats. Rats were made anemic and fed one of the following diets: basal, basal + FeSO 4 , MD shank, HD shank, MD plate or HD plate. Hemoglobin regeneration served as the basis for measuring iron utilization. The iron from FeSO 4 was most efficiently utilized. Iron from HD shank and HD plate were better utilized than iron from MD shank and MD plate.