Extracting Iron From Cereal –
Nutrients are required for normal growth and development of the human body. We receive
nutrients from the food we eat. If a person does not have the proper nutrients they can have
problems with their organs and cells. To help their bodies, nutrients are added to the foods they
eat. This allows the organs and cells to work correctly again.
Iron is a nutrient found in red meat, green vegetables, beans, nuts, and grains. Iron is very
important to create hemoglobin, which is responsible for carrying oxygen through the body.
Oxygen is used by our bodies to release the energy from food. This released energy is used to do
everything the body needs to do such as blink your eyes, pump blood, run, and take notes during
your favorite class, science.
There are two types of iron, the heme-iron from meat and non-heme iron from fruits, vegetables,
beans, nuts, and grains. Heme iron comes from the iron in the red blood cells. Animals have red
blood cells from which iron comes while fruits and vegetables do not have red blood cells. To
help the body use non-heme iron most effectively, eat vitamin C sources (oranges, grapefruit,
tomatoes, broccoli, and strawberries) with other fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, and grains. To
really help your body, you will want to eat meat, fruits, and vegetables together.
The amount of iron needed by a body varies by age and gender. Growing bodies need more iron.
Infants, young children, adolescents and pregnant women need the most iron. Female teenagers
and adult women need more iron than men due to the blood lost during menstruation. The
recommended daily allowance (RDA) for adult men is about 10 mg daily. Adult women and
female teenagers have an RDA of 15 mg. Children ages 9 -13 have an RDA of 8 mg. Male
teenagers have an RDA of 11 mg.
If a person does not have enough iron, the person can develop anemia. If you have anemia you
will feel extremely tired and look very pale. The person may also have a sore or swollen tongue,
bleeding gums, brittle nails, shortness of breath, headaches, and a poor appetite. If more iron is
added to that person’s diet, they will have energy and become healthy again.
Iron is stored in the body. However, too much iron can kill a person.
Nutrients are added to some foods to make them healthier. The label states the food is fortified
with that nutrient. Fortified means that extra nutrient is added. Cereal manufacturers can add
ground up iron filings to the cereal. The iron can be separated out using a strong magnet. The
stomach acid (Hydrochloric acid) dissolves the iron filings. The iron filings are absorbed in the
intestines during digestion. If the iron is added as part of a chemical compound, it can not be
separated with a magnet.
Total cereal is fortified with iron.
Wheaties is not iron fortified.
RIGHT THERE (IN THE TEXT)
1. What is heme iron?__________________________
iron from red blood cells in animals
2. What is non-heme iron?______________________
AUTHOR AND YOU
Why is it important that you receive iron in your daily
eating?
____________________________________________
Stay healthy – don’t get anemia
iron from fruits and vegetables
without red blood cells
THINK AND SEARCH
List two items found in a grocery store that would be a
source of heme iron.
____________________________________________
___chicken,
beef, pork, fish____________
(must be a meat source)
_____________________________________________
ON YOUR OWN
Describe a meal that you could cook for your parents to
make sure they are receiving both heme and non-heme
iron. List the ingredients you would need to prepare the
foods. Include two heme sources and two non-heme
sources. (Use non-heme chart provided in class for
specific foods.)
_____________________________________________
spaghetti (non-heme)
with tomato (Vit C) spaghetti sauce
(non-heme)
and meatballs (heme)
and sausage (heme)
strawberries (Vit C) (non-heme)
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
Critical Reading: Underline the text where you find the answer to each question. Place the question number (#__)
beside your underlined section.
to make the food healthier
1) Why do food companies add nutrients to food?__
______________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
to carry the oxygen in the red blood cells
2) Why do people need iron?______
____
___________________________________________________________________________________________.
A person with anemia is extremely
tired and pale. The person may also have a sore or swollen tongue,
bleeding gums, brittle nails, shortness of breath, headaches, and a
poor appetite.
3) What happens if a person does not have enough iron?
4) Why do infants, young children, teenagers, and pregnant women need more iron than adult men?___________
Growing bodies need more iron.____________________________
__
5) How are iron filings dissolved in the human body?_____________________________________
The stomach acids (Hydrochloric Acid) dissolve the iron and the
intestines absorb the dissolved iron.
____________________________________________________________________________________________
NON-HEME FOOD SOURCES
Food Source
(http://www.mckinley.uiuc.edu/handouts/dietary_sources_iron.html)
Serving Size (oz.)
Iron (mg)
10 - 12 each
0.7
Apricots, dried, med.-size
10 each
1.7
Bagel
1 whole
1.5
Baked beans, canned
1/2 cup
2.0
Bread, white
2 slices
1.4
Bread, whole wheat
2 slices
1.7
Broccoli, cooked
1/2 cup
0.6
Broccoli, raw
1 stalk
1.1
Dates
10 each
1.6
Kidney beans
1/2 cup
3.0
Lima beans
1/2 cup
1.8
Macaroni, enriched, cooked
1 cup
1.9
Molasses, blackstrap
1 tbsp.
2.3
Peas, frozen and prepared
1/2 cup
1.3
Prune juice
1/2 cup
1.5
Raisins, not packed
1/4 cup
1.0
Rice, brown, cooked
1 cup
1.0
Rice, white enriched, cooked
1 cup
1.8
Almonds, raw
Spaghetti, enriched, cooked
Spinach, cooked
Vitamin supplements
1 cup
1.6
1/2 cup
2.0
varies
varies
Lab: Extracting Iron from Cereal
Problem: Can iron be extracted from an iron fortified cereal such as Total?
Research:
1. Cereal manufacturers can add ground up ___iron
fillings____ to cereal.
2. The iron can be physically___ separated from the cereal by using a _magnet__.
3. Total is an iron fortified cereal. This means __iron__ has been added to it.
Hypothesis:
If Total cereal has iron filings added to it because it is iron fortified,
Then a _magnet___ can be used to separate the iron filings from the cereal, and you will be
able to __see__ the iron filings on the magnet.
Materials:
Balance
250 ml Beaker, dry
Total Cereal
Mortar and pestle
Plastic dish
400 ml beaker
200 ml boiling water
Protective gloves
Cow magnet
100 ml Graduated Cylinder
100 ml cool tap water
Paper towels
White tissue
Wheaties cereal
Experimental Set Up:
Control group:___Wheaties___________________________
Experimental Group:___Total _____________________
Variable:___iron
filings ____________________________
Procedure:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Obtain a balance.
Find the mass of a 250 ml beaker.
Leave the beaker on the balance, and move the 10s rider to 30. The balance will not be balanced anymore.
Leave the beaker on the balance, and add Total cereal a little at a time until the balance pointer again points
at 0 on the scale. You now have 30 mg of Total cereal in the beaker. This is one serving of the cereal.
Note: The process of finding a mass of a beaker or paper, adding mass to the balance, and then
adding another substance until the balance again is balanced is called taring. This a process that
allows a scientist to measure exactly the amount needed.
5. Pour the Total cereal into the mortar and pestle.
6. Grind the cereal until it has the consistency of flour. It will be very fine.
Note: It will take at least five minutes to do this.
7. After the Total is ground, pour it from the pestle to the plastic bowl.
8. The teacher will bring you 200 ml boiling water in a 400 ml beaker.
9. Using the protective gloves, slowly pour the boiling water into the plastic dish with the ground Total.
Note: The water is HOT! Please be careful.
10. Allow the boiling water and the Total cereal to stand for five minutes.
Note: The Total cereal and water mixture will be hot. Be careful.
11. Hold the cow magnet on one end.
12. Use the other end to stir the Total and hot water mixture for 10 -15 minutes. Both lab partners should take
turns stirring.
13. Put 100 ml water into the 400 ml beaker.
14. Still holding the magnet by the same end, slowly and gently pour the water over the cow magnet into the
250 ml beaker. The cereal should slid off the magnet with the water.
15. On the sides and bottom of the magnet should be silver gray iron filings.
16. Carefully take a white tissue and wipe off the magnet. You have the iron filings for one serving of cereal
added by the cereal company!
17. The teacher will repeat steps #1 -> 16 using Wheaties cereal and show it to you.
Record and Analyze Data:
1.
How much cereal did you use? Remember to record the correct units.___30
2. What did you find on the end of the Total cereal magnet?____iron
g __
filings______
3. Why did you find what you found on the end of the Total cereal magnet?
The magnet physically separated the iron from the cereal.
4. Compare what was found on the end of the Total cereal magnet with the _Wheaties _
cereal magnet.
The Wheaties cereal did not have iron filings on the magnet.
The Total cereal had iron filings on the end of the magnet
after the cereal was stirred.
5. Which cereal had more iron?_______Total
6. Why did that cereal have more iron?_ The
Cereal_________________
manufacturer added iron
filings.
7. Why do manufacturers add iron to cereals?_ to
make the cereal healthier
8. Why do experiments have both a control group and an experimental group?
The results of the two groups are compared to see if the variable
caused a difference.
Conclusion:
My hypothesis stated that __________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________.
I __________ my hypothesis because my data supports / does NOT
support the hypothesis.
The control group is __________________________________.
The data from the control group is______________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
This data means _________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
The experimental group is _________________________________.
The data from the experimental group is ______________________
_______________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
This data means _________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
The variable in this experiment is ___________________________.
The variable did / did not have an effect on this experiment because
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
One source of error was ___________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
One improvement that could be made is ______________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
Look at your problem and hypothesis before writing your concluding
sentence and use the information to write the sentence.
In this experiment we saw _________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
because _______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________