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ORIGINAL RESEARCH COMMUNICATION |
1 From the Department of Pediatrics, Section of Nutrition, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver, CO (KMH, NFK, JLW, LS, and LVM), and the US Department of Agriculture/Agricultural Research Service, Small Grains and Potato Germplasm Research Unit, Aberdeen, ID (KLP and VR)
2 Supported by grant no. 99000663 from the National Research Initiative Competitive Grants Program, US Department of Agriculture/ARS (to KMH), the Thrasher Research Fund (to KMH), grant no. 5P30 DK48520 from the Clinical Nutrition Research Unit, grant no. K24 RR018357 from the National Institutes of Health (to NFK) and grant no. 5 U01 HD40657 from the National Institutes of Health (to KMH).
3 Reprints not available. Address correspondence to KM Hambidge, Section of Nutrition, Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, 4200 East 9th Avenue, Box C225, Denver, CO 80262. E-mail: michael.hambidge{at}uchsc.edu.
Preliminary data presented in abstract form at Experimental Biology, 2002.
| ABSTRACT |
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Objective:The objective was to compare the absorption of calcium from tortilla meals prepared from low-phytate maize with that from meals prepared from maize with typical phytate content.
Design:At 1-mo intervals, 5 healthy adult women were fed 2 test meals of
140 g tortillas in lieu of breakfast. On one occasion, the tortillas were prepared from maize with
60% phytate reduction, and, on the other occasion, they were prepared from the matching isohybrid wild-type maize. Beginning midway through the test meal, 44Ca (0.3 mg/kg body wt) was administered in water as an extrinsic label; 42Ca (0.06 mg/kg body wt) was administered intravenously immediately after the test meal. Isotope ratios of 42Ca to 43Ca and of 44Ca to 43Ca were measured by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry in urine collected as an 8-h pool from the period 1624 h after intravenous tracer administration and prepared by the oxalate precipitation method. Fractional absorption of calcium was determined by using a dual-isotope ratio technique.
Results:Mean fractional absorption of calcium from tortillas prepared from the low-phytate maize (0.50 ± 0.03) was significantly (P = 0.003) greater than that from tortillas prepared from the control maize (0.35 ± 0.07).
Conclusion:The increase in the quantity of calcium absorbed could be of practical importance for calcium nutriture when the intake of dairy products is limited.
Key Words: Maize phytate low-phytate maize alleles tortillas calcium absorption
| INTRODUCTION |
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Whereas the absorption of endogenous iron from a low-phytate acid maize was modestly higher than that from control maize (2), substitution of a low-phytate-acid maize has not been associated with any increase in the absorption of iron that was added to maize flour as a fortificant (3). These observations have given additional impetus to determining whether the substitution of low-phytate-acid maize affects the bioavailability of calcium in maize tortillas that is derived almost entirely from the process of nixtamalization.
The hypothesis tested in this study was that fractional calcium absorption (FCA) from tortilla meals prepared from maize with
60% phytate reduction is significantly greater than from tortilla meals prepared from wild-type control maize.
| SUBJECTS AND METHODS |
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Calcium absorption was measured using an extrinsic calcium stable isotope label by a dual-isotope tracer ratio technique based on measurements in the urine of the dose-adjusted ratio of enrichment with the oral extrinsic label to that for a second calcium stable isotope tracer administered intravenously (4).
Subjects
The subjects were 5 healthy free-living volunteer adult women aged 2229 y who were recruited from the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center community by word of mouth. We included women of childbearing age who had normal BMI and an omnivore diet and who were willing to eat maize-only breakfasts on 2 consecutive days. Exclusion criteria included pregnancy, lactation, use of a multivitamin or mineral supplement, regular consumption of fortified breakfast cereals or energy bars, regular use of medicines that affect absorption, and the presence of any chronic or acute illness.
Written informed consent was provided by all subjects. The protocol was approved by the Colorado Multiple Institutional Review Board of the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center.
Source of maize and preparation and administration of test meals
Test meals were prepared from low-phytate-acid maize (lpa1-1) that has
60% phytate reduction. This maize was provided by Pioneer Hi-Bred Inc (Dupont, Johnston, IA), which cultivated it under a cooperative research and development agreement with the US Department of Agriculture. The isohybrid wild-type maize with normal phytate content was also provided by Pioneer Hi-Bred Inc and was grown in the same location.
For the preparation of tortillas, 10 L water was added to 450 g maize kernels, and the mixture was brought to the boil. Powdered limestone (5 g, or 1 tsp) was added, and the mixture was stirred. The maize mixture was left to simmer for 4 h, after which it was drained and spread out on a towel to dry for 3 h. The nixtamatalized maize was then ground in a food processor, rolled into
4-cm diameter balls, dipped in corn oil, and flattened. The tortillas were cooked on a greased skillet for 1 min. Each meal consisted of 5 of these tortillas, which weighed
35 g.
After an overnight fast, test meals were administered at
0800 in the presence of one of the investigators. Three subjects received tortillas prepared from the lpa1-1, and the other 2 received tortillas prepared from the isohybrid wild-type maize. After a washout period of 4 wk, subjects consumed the alternative test meal.
Isotope preparation
Enriched 42Ca and 44Ca stable isotopes were obtained from Trace Science International Inc (Richmond Hill, Canada) as carbonate. Enriched 44Ca was used as the orally administered tracer, and 42Ca was used as the intravenously administered tracer. Calcium carbonate was dissolved by adding drops of concentrated hydrochloric acid. The oral solution was prepared at a calcium concentration of 0.063 mol/L by dilution with Milli-Q water (Millipore Systems, Bedford, MA), and the intravenous solution was prepared at a calcium concentration of 0.01 mol/L 0.45% sterile sodium chloride. We adjusted the oral solution to pH 5.0 and the intravenous solution to pH 6.0 with sodium hydroxide. The solutions were filtered through a 0.2-µm filter to remove pyrogens. Sterile techniques were used to prepare doses for intravenous administration. Calcium concentrations were determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometry with application of correction factors for atomic weight. The oral solution was stored in plastic tubes, and the intravenous solution was stored in sealed sterile vials. The intravenous dose was tested for pyrogens immediately before use.
Isotope administration
An accurately weighed quantity of 44Ca (
0.3 mg Ca/kg body wt) was administered orally in water starting approximately halfway through the test meal. We have used this method extensively to administer stable isotope tracers of zinc (5). An accurately weighed quantity of 42Ca (
0.06 mg Ca/kg body wt) was administered intravenously over a 10-min interval immediately after the test meal. Administration was performed over a 5-min interval with the use of a 10-mL syringe, a 3-way stopcock, and a scalp vein needle placed in a superficial forearm vein. The syringe was flushed twice with sterile normal saline.
Sample collection, preparation, and analysis
Participants were instructed to completely empty the bladder immediately before administration of the intravenous isotope tracer. All urine was collected for an 8-h period beginning 16 h after the administration of the intravenous tracer. Urine was collected directly into an acid-washed plastic bottle. Volumes were measured, and a 50-mL aliquot was then stored at 20 °C.
For analysis, 5 mL urine from the period 1624 h after isotope administration was purified by the oxalate precipitation method (6). Urine was first centrifuged to remove particulates, saturated ammonium oxalate was adjusted to pH 8.0 with NH4OH, and 1.2 mL saturated ammonium oxalate was added to the urine. After thorough mixing, the sample was left at room temperature overnight. It was then centrifuged at 1700 x g for 15 min at room temperature, and the supernatant fluid was decanted. The precipitate was washed twice with Milli-Q water and dissolved in 4 mL of 2% HNO3. We prepared 8 mL of 1 ppm calcium solution in 2% HNO3 from each sample. Isotope ratios of 42Ca to 43Ca and 44Ca to 43Ca were measured with the use of an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (ICP-MS) (Plasma Quad 3; VG Elemental, Winsford, United Kingdom). Each sample was introduced into the ICP-MS by using an autosampler (ASX-500 Model 510; CETAC, Omaha, NE) and peristaltic pump (Perimax 12; CPETEC, Erding, Germany). To minimize argon-derived isobaric and polyatomic interference, the instrument was operated in the cool plasma mode. Instrumental settings for cool-plasma-mode operation are given in Table 1
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The weights of the test meals consumed were recorded. Tortillas from each test meal were collected and homogenized. Weighed aliquots were digested by heating samples to 450 °C for 24 h, wet ashing on a hot plate with concentrated HNO3, and then ashing at 450 °C for an additional 24 h, and the calcium content was determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometry (7). HPLC was used for direct measurement of phytate (8).
Data processing and statistical analysis
Data were analyzed by using GRAPHPAD PRISM for WINDOWS software (version 4.00; GraphPad Software, San Diego, CA; www.graphpad.com). Mean (±SD) calcium intake was calculated per gram of tortilla and per test meal. The molar calcium:phytate of the test and control meals was calculated.
Mean FCA was determined for the low-phytate and the wild-type maize tortilla meals. Calcium absorption from the low-phytate maize tortilla meals was compared with that from the wild-type control maize tortilla meals by using a two-tailed, paired comparison t test.
| RESULTS |
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All individual subjects had significantly higher FCA from the lpa1-1 maize tortilla meals than from the control maize tortilla meals (Figure 1
).Mean FCA from the low-phytate maize tortilla meals was 0.50 ± 0.03 compared with a mean of 0.35 ± 0.07 from the tortilla meals prepared from the isohybrid wild-type control maize (P = 0.003).
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| DISCUSSION |
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In the current study, the difference between the absorption of calcium from tortilla meals prepared with the low-phytate maize and that from meals prepared with maize with a typical phytate content was similar but of greater magnitude than the difference between the absorption of calcium from low-phytate and high-phytate whole cooked soybeans (18). The calcium content of the tortillas prepared for this study was comparable to that found by other investigators (1). With a typical tortilla wet weight of
40 g, the quantity of calcium ingested with each tortilla was
40 mg. In our own experience in the western highlands of Guatemala, adult women typically consume
1520 tortillas/d (weight:
40 g each), which provide
500 mg calcium/d. The increased absorption found in the low-phytate maize tortillas would contribute an additional 6 mg Ca absorbed per tortilla or 90120 mg Ca/d for typical maize intakes. Thus, when there is a limited intake of dairy products, tortillas provide the major source of dietary calcium. This calcium alone, however, is not typically sufficient to match the adequate intake recommended by the Institute of Medicine's Food and Nutrition Board (27), which states that any strategy that increases the bioavailability of this calcium will make a useful contribution to calcium status. Even in North America, tortillas prepared from nixtamalized maize can provide a useful alternative source of calcium for subjects who do not consume dairy products, and the superior absorption of calcium from a low-phytate maize could be advantageous.
We showed previously that fractional absorption of zinc from tortillas prepared from maize with 2 different amounts of phytate reduction (but probably a mutation of the same allele) is higher than that from tortillas prepared from the corresponding wild-type maize with typical phytate content (28, 29). Others have found a modest increase in iron absorption (2). Especially when taken together, these data encourage the evaluation of the efficacy and effectiveness of a change in agricultural practiceie, the use of low-phytate maizeto improve mineral nutriture in low-income populations that depend on maize as their principal food staple.
| ACKNOWLEDGMENTS |
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| REFERENCES |
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