未精製全豆類低水分押出成形食品におけるマトリックス制御された鉄の生体利用能

Iron deficiency remains one of the most prevalent micronutrient deficiencies globally, disproportionately affecting populations that rely on plant-based diets. Although pulses are widely consumed staple foods and often contain substantial amounts of iron, iron concentration alone is a poor predictor of nutritional value because absorption is strongly constrained by the food matrix after processing these pulses. Here, we show that unrefined pulse composition exerts a dominant influence on cellular iron uptake in extruded foods, often outweighing the effects of total iron concentration and processing method. Using low-moisture extrusion to produce ready-to-eat foods from unrefined pulse flours, we observed wide variation in cellular iron uptake among pulse types despite comparable iron contents, with Caco-2 cell ferritin formation ranging from 0.81 ± 0.04 to 32.17 ± 0.31 ng ferritin/mg cell protein. This variation was most strongly associated with matrix composition: the highest iron uptake occurred when a low level of inhibitory flavonoids coincided with a low phytate-to-iron molar ratio and abundant enhancer flavonoids, whereas a low inhibitor level alone was not sufficient for high iron uptake. Extrusion improved cellular iron uptake only modestly relative to traditional porridge preparation. Together, these findings highlight matrix-controlled bioavailability as a key factor in plant-based iron delivery and identify yellow bean-based puffed snacks as a promising, consumer-friendly strategy for improving dietary iron intake.