Processed

Ferrous Sulfate

Ferrous sulfate is an iron(II) salt widely used to fortify flour, breakfast cereals, infant foods, and supplements because elemental iron is cheaply delivered in a bioavailable form. At culinary fortification levels it is mixed into dry premixes; at higher doses it can leave a slight metallic note that formulators mask with encapsulation or alternative iron sources. Food grades are blue-green crystalline hydrates (commonly heptahydrate) that dissolve in water and darken on oxidation if poorly protected. Mills and factories meter microgram-to-milligram iron targets per serving under national enrichment rules.

Also known as: Ferrous Sulfate, Ferrous Sulphate, Ferrous Sulfate

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Quantity

Unit

Kg Liters Whole

Note

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Application

Form

Breeds & varieties

A sample of named types with their own origin and culinary profiles.

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Ferrous Sulfate Heptahydrate

Encapsulated Iron

Dried Ferrous Sulfate

Premix Grade

Characteristics

Preparations

CrystallineDissolved TraceEncapsulatedFlour FortifiedPowderPremix

Provenance

FCC GradeFood GradePharma Grade OptionsUSP Grade

Sources

Industrial ManufacturedMineral DerivedPurified

Traits

Blue Green CrystalsFunctional Group: FortificantIron SourceMetallic Trace At High DoseMicrodose In FoodsOxidises If ExposedWater Soluble

Nutrition

Typical values per 100 g edible portion. Nutrient names open the reference page.

Nutrition Facts

Per 100 g edible portion

Calories 387

Amount per 100 g

Total Fat 1.02 g
Saturated Fat 0.47 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Monounsaturated Fat 0.19 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.21 g
Cholesterol 0 mg
Sodium 18.9 mg
Salt 0.05 g
Total Carbohydrate 87.1 g
Dietary Fibre 0 g
Total Sugars 83.9 g
Complex / starch 2.02 g
Protein 2.04 g
Water 5.03 g

Detailed nutrients

Energy 387 kcal
Water 5.03 g
Carbohydrates 87.1 g
- Sugars 83.9 g
  - Monosaccharides 58.7 g
  - Disaccharides 25.2 g
- Starch 2.02 g
  - Amylose 0.51 g
  - Amylopectin 1.52 g
  - Digestible Starch 1.72 g
  - Resistant Starch 0.2 g
Protein 2.04 g
Fat 1.02 g
- Saturated Fat 0.47 g
- Monounsaturated Fat 0.19 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat 0.21 g
  - Omega-3 0.02 g
  - Omega-6 0.11 g
Vitamins 24.7 mg
- Vitamin A 20 µg
- Vitamin B1 — Thiamine 0.01 mg
- Vitamin B2 — Riboflavin 0.02 mg
- Vitamin B3 — Niacin 0.09 mg
- Vitamin B5 — Pantothenic Acid 0.05 mg
- Vitamin B6 0.02 mg
- Vitamin B7 — Biotin 0.2 µg
- Vitamin B9 — Folate 1.8 µg
- Vitamin C 2 mg
- Vitamin E 0.09 mg
- Vitamin K 0.4 µg
Minerals 287 mg
- Major Minerals 281 mg
  - Calcium 61 mg
  - Sodium 18.9 mg
  - Potassium 201 mg
- Trace Minerals 6 mg
  - Iron 0.6 mg
  - Zinc 0.4 mg
  - Iodine 5 µg
Salt 0.05 g
- Sodium Chloride 0.05 g

Vitamins

vitamin-c: 2 · vitamin-a: 20 · vitamin-b1-thiamine: 0.01 · vitamin-b2-riboflavin: 0.02 · vitamin-b3-niacin: 0.09 · vitamin-b5-pantothenic-acid: 0.05 · vitamin-b6: 0.02 · vitamin-b7-biotin: 0.2 · vitamin-b9-folate: 1.8 · vitamin-e: 0.09 · vitamin-k: 0.4 ·

Minerals

Sodium: 18.88 · Potassium: 201 · Calcium: 61 · Iron: 0.6 · Zinc: 0.4 · Iodine: 5 ·

Refined processed sweeteners and additives are energy-dense carbohydrate with little else.

In the kitchen

Culinary partners and combinations that usually underperform with Ferrous Sulfate.

Pairs well with

Classic and complementary matches

Bread
Corn
Milk
OatsFortified cereals
Rice
WheatIron fortification

Usually avoid with

Often clash in flavour or tradition

History

500 BCE

Iron-rich mineral and plant preparations were used in traditional medicine long before modern fortification chemistry.

1832

Pharmaceutical ferrous sulfate (green vitriol relatives) entered standardised Western materia medica.

1940US

Wartime and post-war flour enrichment programmes included iron salts to fight dietary anaemia.

1970

Ferrous sulfate became a default cheap iron source in cereal and flour fortification worldwide.

2000

Encapsulation and alternative iron compounds competed with ferrous sulfate where taste and colour stability mattered.