CALCIUM CHLORIDE AND VITAMIN D BIOAVAILABILITY FROM FORTIFIED BEVERAGES IN WISTAR RATS

Calcium and vitamin D play a critical role in the prevention of metabolic diseases includingosteoporosis, osteomalacia, and stress fractures, butaverage intake is below the RDA. The objective of this study was to test a water-soluble form of vitamin D andcalcium chloride as fortifiers for sports drink solution using a rat bioavailabilityassay.Vitamin D fortifying ingredient was prepared as a spray-dried complexwith bovine beta-lactoglobulin. Flavored beverages were formulated with various ratios of calcium and vitamin D in a 4x4factorial design. Female Wistar rats were housed under incandescent lighting for a 4-week depletion phase, then given drink formulations with low calcium, low vitamin D diet for anadditional six weeks. Blood and femur bones were analyzed. The fortified drink solutions could be accurately formulated tocontain calcium chloride at 0, 1, 2 and 2.5 g Ca/L with palatability to rats. Serum vitamin D wassignificantly greater (p< .0001) in rats receiving the vitamin D-fortified drinks (10, 20, and 40 μg/L), but no dose-response was evident.Water-soluble vitamin-D can successfully fortify aqueous products with this fat-solublevitamin. Regular consumption of flavored sports drinkfortified with calcium and vitamin D may significantly increase dietary calcium and vitaminD. ?