Estimation of the bioavailability of zinc and calcium from human, cow's, goat, and sheep milk by an in vitro method.
The availability of zinc and calcium from human, cow's, goat, and sheep milk is evaluated by an in vitro method that involves a simulated human gastrointestinal digestion followed by measurement of dialyzability of zinc and calcium. Zinc availability of milk showed the highest value for human milk (15.0%) and the lowest for sheep milk (1.0%), in both whole and skim milk. Calcium availability of the different types of milk did not differ significantly and ranged between 18 and 23%. No significant differences in availability between whole and skim milk were found for both elements, except for zinc in cow's milk.