Replication Data for: Acidic hydrothermal processing of wheat using citrate buffer largely enhances iron and zinc bioaccessibility and bioavailability to Caco-2 cells

Phytate chelates iron (Fe) and zinc (Zn) in wheat. A multifactorial experiment showed that hydrothermal processing (45 – 60 °C, pH 4.0 – 6.0, 8 – 24 h) of wheat using acetate or lactate buffers reduced phytate contents by a factor 1.4 to 2.8 and increased bioaccessibility, determined with an in vitro digestion, maximally 1.9 (Fe) or 1.5 (Zn) times relative to unprocessed wheat. In contrast, hydrothermal processing using citrate buffer reduced phytate contents by a factor 1.3 to 2.0 and increased bioaccessibility values 9.8 (Fe) and 8.8 (Zn) times, due to formation of soluble chelates. The in vitro digests were supplied to Caco-2 cells, showing that mineral bioavailabilities in these processed wheat grains were 6-fold (Fe) and 12-fold (Zn) higher than in unprocessed wheat. Thus, hydrothermal processing of wheat using citrate buffer can be used for developing whole grain-based products with increased Fe and Zn bioavailability.