iron in food

Breakfast cereals often claim to be fortified with iron. Well, are they?
They are and, more amazingly, if you have a magnet you can extract it too! So ponder the ingredients list on your packet of cornflakes while you are munching breakfast, and then set about removing one of them…
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What do I need?
- breakfast cereal fortified with iron (cornflakes work, but check on the side of the packet to see what the iron content is – the higher, the better)
- a plastic cup
- a spoon or pestle to crush the cereal (better still, a blender)
- hot water
- a very strong magnet
- clean white paper
- a clear, sealable plastic sandwich bag
What do I do? Fill the cup to about two-thirds full with cereal, and with the spoon or pestle crush the cereal into a fine powder. It is worth spending a lot of time on this stage – the finer the powder, the better. Put the crushed cereal into the sandwich bag and add hot water. Leave the mixture for about 15 to 20 minutes. Now gently tilt the bag forward so that the cereal collects on one side, and place the magnet along the outside of the bag near the cereal, running it over the bottom, because the iron tends to sink. Tilt the bag back so that the cereal runs away from the magnet. You can also lay the bag flat on the table and stroke it with the magnet towards one corner.
Alternatively, if you are using a blender, put the cereal straight into the blender and add hot water until the cereal is submerged. Wait for about 15 to 20 minutes until the cereal is soft, then blend it all together. While the blender is whirring, place the magnet on the outside of the blender near the mixture, and keep it there as you turn the blender off.
What will I see? The magnet will attract a black fuzz of iron. Move the magnet over the surface of the bag or blender and the tiny pieces of iron will follow it.
What’s going on? The black stuff really is iron in your cereal – the same stuff that is found in nails. The iron is added to the mix when the cereals are being made and you really do eat it when you devour your cornflakes.