Abstract:
Improved iron availability from sorghum porridges will benefit many malnourished communities in rural
Africa, where there is a high prevalence of iron deficiency. This research compared the efficacy of reducing
sorghum phytate content by genetic modification (GM) and natural lactic acid fermentation on
in vitro iron availability in porridges. GM low phytate, non-tannin (38% phytate reduction) and tannin
(36% phytate reduction) sorghums and their null controls were processed into thick unfermented and fermented
porridges. The inhibitory effect of the tannins seemed to prevent any increase in in vitro iron
availability, regardless of the level of phytate reduction. Only the additive effect of GM in combination
with fermentation in reducing the phytate content appeared to cause a substantial increase in in vitro
iron availability in the GM fermented porridge (30%) made from the non-tannin line, compared to the
GM unfermented porridge (8.9%) or the fermented porridge (17.6%) of the control sorghum. This could
be of nutritional significance.
