Mineral Composition of Australian Ready-to-Eat Breakfast Cereals

The consumption of fortified ready-to-eat breakfast cereals contributes significantly to the Australian populationʹs dietary intake of a number of nutrients. However, our knowledge of the mineral content of cereals is limited. The present study aimed to describe the mineral content of these important breakfast foods. Twelve different ready-to-eat breakfast cereals and 21 of the raw ingredients, which were used in their manufacture, were sampled and analyzed for their aluminium, calcium, manganese, iron, magnesium, zinc, and copper contents. The ready-to-eat breakfast cereals and ingredients were representative of one yearʹs production, namely 1993. The processing of whole cereal grains to the final product results in losses of all the minerals tested. However, ready-to-eat breakfast cereals still contribute significant amounts of these important minerals, particularly iron, manganese and magnesium, to the Australian diet.