Determination of bioavailable fluoride from sepiolite by “in vivo” digestibility assays

This work presents a study of the bioavailability and distribution of fluoride in tissues of animals (Wistar rats) which were fed with a poultry feeding that contains sepiolite as an additive. The determination of fluoride concentration was carried out by potentiometric measurements using a fluoride selective electrode. The quantification was done using the standard addition method with enough accuracy and precision in all the assays. The results demonstrate that fluoride present in sepiolite is not bioavailable. The digestion process does not extract all the fluoride from sepiolite, so sepiolite can be use in poultry feedings without any risk. These studies have contributed to the discussions at EU level about extraction procedures and F− determination in feed material of mineral origin.