Table 1.
Characteristics of the three main sources of iron for controlling iron deficiency anemia.
| OS (−) | Iron source | Solubility | RBA (%) | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | Iron powders | Very low soluble | 75 | Unknown corrosion |
| 0 | Iron ingots | Very low soluble | n.a | Unknown corrosion |
| II | Fe(II) sulfate | Highly soluble | 100 | Least expensive |
| II | Fe(II) chloride | Highly soluble | 50 | Not stable in air |
| III | Fe(III) ammonium citrate | soluble | 51 | Soluble, not bioavailable |
| III | Fe(III) pyrophosphate | Very low soluble | 43 | Unknown dissolution, not bioavailable |
The most readily available iron sources are selected with two per state of oxidation (oxidation state—OS). RBA stands for the relative bioavailability, RBA is related to the solubility in 0.1 N HCl (Harrison et al. (1976) cited by Kumari and Chauhan4).