If you have ever seen rocks or dirt that have a red or orange tint to them, they most likely contain iron; iron tends to rust when it is exposed to oxygen, causing that rusty red color on old metal objects—or rocks! However, the "reduced iron" they add is in the form of IRON FILINGS! If an infant is receiving only iron-fortified infant formula (during the time before complementary foods are given), then additional iron supplementation is not necessary. • How much iron did you get out of the cereal? Try this simple experiment and see for yourself! • Magnet
Record the mass in milligrams (mg) in a data table. Why not? Dr. Paul Whittaker and colleagues from the FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition in Washington, DC compared nutrition information from the labels of 26 ready-to-eat cereals and three hot cereals with the actual amounts of iron and folate the cereals contained, as determined by chemical analysis. A reddish mineral in the ground, iron is needed to make red blood cells, which carry oxygen to your body. 1 One contained nearly 200 ⦠particles of iron metal (called elemental iron or reduced iron) because elemental iron is stable in storage and does not affect the cerealâs flavor. Hot Dog Ingredients Explained, The Puzzle of Pancreatic Cancer: How Steve Jobs Did Not Beat the Oddsbut Nobel Winner Ralph Steinman Did. Share your iron extraction observations and results! Keep crushing it until it becomes a fine powder (the finer you can get it, the easier it will be to separate out the iron particles). As you sit down with your breakfast cereal to get ready for school or work, check out the box. • Sewing needle
Now you can graph the Percent Daily Value of Iron (%) versus the Amount of Iron per Gram of Cereal (mg/g). • Water (optional). God designed our bodies to absorb and use iron in amazing ways! Those are bits of iron! • Pour out one serving of iron-fortified dry cereal into the bowl (or the mortar if you have one). Be patient. A large, sealable transparent food bag (a zip-lock style bag is ideal) 4. Rare earth magnet (these are extremely strong magnets, usually made from neodymium) 3. Cleanup
A variety of foods, including whole grains, contain iron 1. Check the nutrition facts label to see how much iron each serving actually contains (keep in mind that this tabletop project might not be able to get all of the iron out of the cereal). • Run the magnet closely over the top of the cereal powder. How nutritious is your cereal? They both have some of the same materials in them. There are no metallic iron pieces in the cereal. That may seem like a good thing, if it wards off iron deficiency and anaemia. It ⦠Materials
Iron helps blood transfer oxygen to different parts of the human body, which is used to provide muscles with energy. Breakfast Cereal.â, [Editorâs Note: Adapted from an article by Joe Francis, âExperimentâIron: Toxin on the Table,â Answers, AprilâJune 2013.]. Like maybe it should say, "iron fortified and WE MEAN IT"? Stir the magnet through the cereal, especially at the bottom. • Gently insert the magnet into the bag (if your magnet has a handle, carefully move it around without spilling the liquid; if your magnet does not have a handle, you can drop it in the bag and reseal it). The Mystery of the Periodic Table by Benjamin Wiker, ages 9–12, Up next…
Explore our digital archive back to 1845, including articles by more than 150 Nobel Prize winners. • Round cork from a bottle
Were you able to get more by dissolving the cereal powder in water? (Iron sinks.) Try downloading another browser like Chrome or Firefox. Find Magnetic North with a Homemade Compass, What you'll need
What happened when you ran the magnet over the whole cereal flakes? Our bodies can't produce iron, but it's naturally present in many foods, including meats (beef, pork, turkey), produce (raisins, spinach, prunes) and nuts (walnuts, cashews, peanuts). Internet Explorer is no longer supported. The magnet is probably attracting the iron in the cereal. What does your breakfast cereal have in common with Earth's crust? (Of course it wouldn't be healthy to eat iron on its own, so stick to getting your daily dose via food and vitamins.). Gently rinse the magnet and wipe it on a paper towel. How much iron were you able to extract from your cereal? But science can help us find one of the most common elements on Earth in your cereal: iron. Iron helps the body produce red blood cells. You will see that some of the crumbled cereal is gearing upwards towards the magnet. Leave a comment below or share your photos and feedback on Scientific American's Facebook page. What are the nutritional ingredients in a ⦠Fact Checked. • Fill the bag halfway full of water (warm water works well). Hope this helps. • Crush the cereal with the back of a spoon, pestle or other firm kitchen utensil. Does a bowl of cereal really contain visible amounts of iron? The body cannot use elemental iron, but the bodyâs stomach acid, This type of iron is less easily absorbed by the body and will require careful planning to get enough iron for your baby. Even though iron only makes up less than 5 percent of the mass on Earth, it is found in a lot of places: rocks, cereal—and even in your blood! Procedure
Like many metals, iron is magnetic, so if you have a strong enough magnet, you will be able to pick it up. Not only are the mg listed but there is a chart to figure percentage which is on the back of the nutrient chart of packages. You cannot digest iron metal, well you could but the chlorine gas would kill you. The Magic School Bus Inside the Earth by Joanna Cole, ages 4–8
If hot cereal is more your style, youâll wind up ⦠Sure that cereal box looks great, bu⦠Blend the cereal for at least one minute. What is iron, and why is it in cereal? Pour out the water and cereal mixture, being careful not to lose any magnets down the drain. You may have thought that the manufacturer added some extract from spinach or liver, but the actual ingredient may surprise you. It might seem strange to compare a bowl of cornflakes to a pile of dirt. • Carefully pour the powder onto the white piece of paper in a thin layer. What happened when you passed the magnet over the crushed cereal powder? Sorta hard to digest a real HUNK of iron, now isn't it! • If you want to try to get more iron, carefully pour the cereal into the resealable plastic bag. I belive the compound is iron sulfate which is a ⦠Iron in My Cereal? A diet lacking in iron can cause tiredness and can reduce the bodyâs resistance to diseases. 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