How to Get Iron Out of Breakfast Cereal

​Cold breakfast cereals are usually fortified with iron. What does the iron look like? Use this easy experiment to find out. It only takes about 15 minutes!

What You Need

Basically, all you need is cereal, a way to mash it, and a magnet.

• 2-3 cups fortified cereal
• Magnet
• Bowl
• Spoon or another utensil
• Water
• Blender (optional)
• Napkin

How to Get Iron from Breakfast Cereal

1. Pour the cereal into the bowl or blender.
2. Add sufficient water to completely cover the cereal (it's not an exact measurement - you can add as much as you like as iron doesn't dissolve in water)
3. Mash the cereal with a spoon or mix it with the water using a blender. The more finely ground the cereal is, the easier it will be to get the iron.
4. Stir the magnet through the crushed cereal. Iron is heavy and will sink, so be sure to pay attention to the bottom of the bowl. If you used a blender, make sure you can get to the particles at the bottom of the jar.
5. Look for the black 'fuzz' or iron on the magnet. It's easiest to see the iron if you wipe the iron on a white napkin or paper towel. Mmmm Mmm Good!

Sources

• Liyanage, C.; Hettiarachchi, M. (2011). "Food fortification". Ceylon Medical Journal. 56 (3): 124–127. doi:10.4038/cmj.v56i3.3607
• Richardson, D. P. (28 February 2007). "Food Fortification". Proceedings of the Nutrition Society. 49 (1): 39–50. doi:10.1079/PNS19900007