Assessment of the Bioavailability of Iron in Iron Fortified Bouillon Cubes in Healthy Nigerian Women

Inclusion Criteria: * Healthy female Nigerian subjects; * Age \> 18 and \<40 years at screening; * Body weight \<65 kg; * Apparently healthy: no medical conditions which might affect study measurements (judged by study physician); * With iron deficiency judged by a serum ferritin concentration of \<15µg/L; * Reported intense sporting activities ≤ 10h/w; * Reported alcohol consumption ≤ 14 units/w; * Willing and able to participate in the study; * Having given a written informed consent. Exclusion Criteria: * Being an employee of Unilever or the Department of Family, Nutrition and Consumer Science of the Obafemi Alowolo University; * Blood donation or significant blood loss over the past 6 months; * Being severely anemic (hemoglobin \< 8.0 g/dL) * Reported use of any medically- or self-prescribed diet; * Use of vitamin or mineral supplements and unwillingness to discontinue their use one week prior the study and during the study; * Smoking or consuming tobacco in any form, and/or was smoking or consuming tobacco in any form for 6 months preceding the study and/or will be smoking or consuming tobacco in any form, during the study; * Is pregnant or will be planning pregnancy during the study period; * Is lactating or has been lactating in the 6 weeks before pre-study investigation and/or during the study period; * Known gastrointestinal (including helminth infection) or metabolic disorders; * Participation in another clinical trial during the last 30 days prior to the beginning of the study; * Symptomatic malaria (no blood smear analyses on malaria required)