The present study has evidenced that both carrot and amaranth had positive effects on the bioaccessibility of iron from the food grains tested, the effect being observed in both raw and cooked forms. The magnitude of this positive effect was maximal with the level of vegetable sources corresponding to 200 μg β-carotene per 10 g of grain. The positive effect of β-carotene-rich sources on the bioaccessibility of either iron or zinc was generally greater in the cooked grains than the raw grains. The beneficial effect of carrot and amaranth on iron and zinc bioaccessibilities was highest in sorghum amongst the four grains evaluated. To test whether the positive effect of carrot and amaranth on the bioaccessibility of minerals is solely attributable to the β-carotene present in them, the effect of pure β-carotene, included at 200 and 400 μg/10 g of the grain, was also examined here. The beneficial effect of pure β-carotene on iron and zinc bioaccessibility was, however, restricted to only the two cereals examined. The absence of an effect of pure β-carotene similar to that of carrot and amaranth on iron and zinc bioaccessibilities in the case of the other grains may be attributable to the probable loss of this isolated provitamin under the cond