Science and Education Publishing Journal of Food and Nutrition Research 2333-1240 2 4 2014 05 03 Hydrolysis of Soybean Protein Improves Iron Bioavailability by Caco-2 Cell 162 166 EN Ying Lv Shuntang Guo Elad Tako Raymond P. Glahn Department of Food Science, and USDA-Agricultural Research Service, Robert W. Holley Center for Agriculture and Health, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States of America JFNR2014245 10.12691/jfnr-2-4-5 2014 04 05 2014 04 24 2014 05 03 Iron is an important trace metal element in human body. Iron deficiency affects human health, especially pregnant women and children. Soybean protein is a popular food in Asia and contains a high amount of iron (145.70 ± 0.74 μg/g); however, it is usually reported as an inhibitor of iron absorption. In this study, the effect of hydrolysis on iron bioavailability of soybean protein was investigated with an in vitro digestion/Caco-2 cell model. The result showed that hydrolysis significantly enhanced the intrinsic and extrinsically added iron bioavailability of soybean protein (P < 0.05). Furthermore, the hydrolyzed soybean protein (SPH) was ultrafiltered to different molecular weight of peptides; and intrinsic iron content of SPH (> 10 kDa), as well as the iron uptake by Caco-2 cells, significantly higher than that of low molecular weight of SPH. However, when extrinsic iron was added, the SPH (< 1 kDa) were presented with highest iron bioavailability. These results indicated that hydrolysis of soybean protein improves iron bioavailability.