Among the remaining deficient animals (n = 74), 44 were selected for the repletion period. These animals were distributed into four groups, based on the product of body weight (g) × Hb concentration (g/l), and fed modified AIN-93G diets containing 35 mg Fe/kg as microencapsulated ferrous sulphate (FeSO4) ( Cocato, Ré, Trindade

Neto, Chiebao, & Colli, 2007) (FeSO4.7 H2O; Fermavi Eletroquímica Ltda, São Paulo, Brazil) (FS group; n = 8) or FP (Fermavi Eletroquímica Ltda, São Paulo, Brazil) (FP group; n = 12) in the mineral mix, supplemented with YF (YF group; n = 12) or R428 mouse RAF (RAF group; n = 12) at 7.5% ITF (75 g/kg diet) (repletion period, Table 1). The animals consumed these diets for 14 days until the end of the experiment. The remaining six healthy animals continued with the AIN-93G diet during the repletion period, Proteases inhibitor and at the end of this period, the Hb mean concentration in this group was 132 ± 17 g/l. At the end of the repletion period, the rats were anaesthetised through an intraperitoneal route

with a 1:1:0.4:1.6 (v/v/v/v) mixture of ketamine (10 mg/kg body weight; Vetaset, Fort Dodge, Iowa, USA), xylazine (25 mg/kg body weight; Virbaxil 2%, Virbac, São Paulo, Brazil), acepromazine (2 mg/ml; Acepran 0.2%, Univet S/A Indústria Veterinária, São Paulo, Brazil) and demineralised H2O. After anaesthesia, blood was collected from the abdominal aorta for analysis and the liver was perfused through the subhepatic vein with a NaCl solution (9 g/l) to drain blood out of the organ. The liver was then removed, rinsed with saline, weighed and stored at −20 °C until analysis. The caecum (and its contents) was removed, weighed and put in a Petri dish with ice (Lu, Gibson, Muir, Fielding & O’Dea, 2000) and cut open along the small curvature. The caecal content pH was measured in situ by inserting an electrode (UP-25; Denver Instrument, Denver, Colorado, USA) through the ileocaecal junction. Aliquots of the contents were adequately stored at −80 °C for SCFA concentration analysis. The faeces

were quantitatively collected during the last 5 days of the repletion period, pooled and stored at −20 °C. The diet offered to the CON filipin group was formulated according the AIN-93G diet (Reeves et al., 1993). In the YF and RAF diets (Table 1), cornstarch, sucrose and dietary fibre were quantitatively substituted, taking into consideration the carbohydrate content in the ITF sources. The yacon tuberous roots, donated by São Sebastião Farm (Ibiúna, São Paulo, Brazil) were properly processed as described in a previous study (Lobo et al., 2007). They were autoclaved (121 °C, 20 min), freeze-dried (Liotécnica Ind. Com. Ltda, Embu, São Paulo, Brazil) and ground for obtaining the flour. Raftilose used in this study was donated by the company Clariant S/A (São Paulo, Brazil).