Some cereals are fortified with iron - here's how to get it out again.
What you need
- 2tbsp fortified cereal flakes
- Pestle and mortar, or a food bag and rolling pin
- Sheet of white paper
- 2 cans
- Strong magnet
Instructions
1. Crush the cereal to a powder using a pestle and mortar, or put the flakes into a food bag, seal the bag and give it a good bashing with a rolling pin.
2. Put a piece of white paper on top of two cans. Make sure there is a gap between the cans. Sprinkle the crushed flakes on top of the paper.
3. Pass a magnet underneath the paper. Small flecks will start to separate from the crumbs, attracted to the magnet. This is the iron that was added to your cereal.
How does it work?
Some cereals are fortified with iron because this element is an essential part of a healthy daily diet. Powdered iron is added to cereals before they are cooked. This is to make sure there is no taste and no interaction with any of the other ingredients.
Cooking locks the iron into the cereal flakes. Crushing the flakes breaks them up and turns the mix into powder. This frees the iron particles from the other ingredients. The magnetic iron particles are now easily separated using a magnet.
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