Intestinal absorption of thiamin from yeast-containing sorghum beer.

The rate of absorption of 14C-thiamin added to sorghum beer has been studied in isolated loops of rat duodenum and adjacent jejunum. Appreciable amounts of the vitamin were absorbed in spite of the presence in the beer of alcohol and live yeast cells avid for the vitamin. These results suggest that commercially brewed sorghum beer, a beverage consumed widely by Third World populations, can be fortified with thiamin to prevent the development of deficiency of the vitamin in habitual consumers of the beer.