Calcium is an important mineral especially for the elderly. The average intake of calcium by the elderly women has been shown to be below the recommended dietary allowance (RDA). The amount of calcium absorption and calcium bioavailability in menopausal women is low. Therefore, the main aim of this research is to evaluate the effect of fortification and preparation conditions on the absorption and bioavailability of calcium in milk powder formulation specific for menopause women. Skim milk powder (T1, basal formulation), skim milk powder fortified with calcium carbonate, inulin, EPA+ DHA, vitamins D3, B6 and K1 (T2 formulation) were formulated based on WHO-RDA recommendation for menopausal women. The ingredients were blended using high speed mixer for 5 minutes. The basal and fortified formulas were fed to ovariectomized (OVX) and OVX-osteoporosis (OVX-OS) rats. The serum calcium (mmol/l), bone calcium content (%), bone breaking strength (maximum load, N), and bone morphology were measured to evaluate calcium absorption (%) and bioavailability (%). The effect of particle size (PS, nm) on absorption and bioavailability of calcium on OVX and OVX-OS rats was studied. Optimization on cycle (times) and pressure (bar) of high-pressure homogenizer was done to produce T2-nano and formula. <i>In-vivo</i> study of calcium absorption and bioavailability in OVX and OVX-OS rats demonstrated that calcium fortification increase absorption and bioavailability. The results provided that absorption and bioavailability of calcium in OVX-OS rats increased with consumption of T2-nano compared with T2. Therefore, the best milk powder for OVX-OS rats was T2-nano formula with the positive effect of size reduction. The current study revealed that OVX rats exhibited higher calcium bioavailability and absorption than OVX-OS rats.

Effect of nano size reduction on absorption and bioavailability of calcium from fortified milk powder in rats

249th National Meeting (2015)

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