Silicon in foods: Content and bioavailability

The silicon content of various foodstuffs marketed in Belgium was measured by a validated graphite furnace absorption spectrometric method. Dietary intake has been identified as the major source of silicon. However, data on its bioavailability remain scarce and insufficient. In vitro methods can provide an indication of bioavailability in case of lacking in vivo data. Bioavailability of silicon from different foodstuffs was estimated using an in vitro continuous flow gastroduodenal simulation method. The major food sources of silicon were unrefined grains, cereal products and root vegetables. The availabilities of silicon from, meat, milk and beers were high, whereas low availability was observed for seafood and cereal products. Plotting the availability data versus the total elemental silicon content of the foods revealed an exponential inverse relationship. The inverse relationship between silicon content and silicon availability was found in all foods, with the exception of various silicon containing drinks. Nevertheless, food categories classified as major silicon sources in the diet still appear to provide the highest absolute amounts of available silicon per 100 g of food including breakfast cereals, bread and baking products, and beers.