*Hemo or (heme) iron found in red meat, seafood and poultry
*Non-hemo (or non heme) iron found in breads, fruits, breakfast cereals, vegetables, legumes, nuts and eggs.
Iron has important biochemical functions in animal since it is a component of hemoglobin, myoglobin, cytochrome and the enzymes catylase and peroxidase.
The iron in these materials exists in porphyrin rings. The best meat sources are liver, red meats, poultry, fish, oysters and clams.
Hemo iron foods are rich in iron and contain iron in a form that is easily absorbed by the body. Red meat also has a special effect on iron absorption. Red meat, when eaten together with the vegetables, can boost the absorption of non-hemo iron by up to 400%. The human body can absorb more than three times as much iron from a 90 gram serving of sirloin steak than a cup of cooked spinach.
In cattle a majority of body iron is in the form of hemoglobin, with a lesser amount existing as protein bound stored iron, myoglobin and cytochrome. The spleen contains iron in high concentration with lower level found in the liver, kidney and heart.
Iron in meat
