Development of a three‐tier in vitro system, using Caco‐2 cells, to assess the effects of lactate on iron uptake and transport from rye bread following in vitro digestion

A three‐tier Caco‐2 cell system was developed to assess simultaneously iron dialysability, uptake and transport across the Caco‐2 monolayer from an in vitro digested food matrix. The effect of lactate (0–200 mmol L −1 ) on iron absorption from rye bread subjected to simulated peptic (pH 5.5) and pancreatic digestion (pH 6.5) was investigated to model absorption pre and post the sphincter of Oddi. Lactate increased dialysability (11.8%, P < 0.05) in peptic digests whereas it reduced it in pancreatic digests (4.9%, P < 0.001). Iron uptake from the peptic digests was in the region of 39–76 pmol mg −1 protein whereas it decreased from 281 to 51 pmol mg −1 protein in pancreatic digests. Iron transport was calculated for the peptic digests from [ 14 C]polyethylene glycol movement and only at 200 mmol L −1 lactate was there any detectable transcellular transport (180 pmol mg −1 protein, P < 0.05). Iron absorption was positively correlated to dialysable iron for both digests ( R 2 = 0.48 and 0.41, respectively, P < 0.01) and the effect of lactate was therefore associated mainly with iron bioaccessibility. The three‐tier system showed the potential to obtain detailed insight into each step involved in iron transport across the monolayer from a food mixture. Copyright © 2006 Society of Chemical Industry