TITLE:
Inaccuracies in Phytic Acid Measurement: Implications for Mineral Biofortification and Bioavailability
AUTHORS:
Pushparajah Thavarajah, Dil Thavarajah
KEYWORDS:
Biofortification; Bioavailability; Phytic Acid; Inositol Phosphate; Chemical Analysis; Quantification; Analytical Errors; Diet; Health
JOURNAL NAME:
American Journal of Plant Sciences,
Vol.5 No.1,
January
7,
2014
ABSTRACT: Biofortification of commonly eaten staple food crops with essential
mineral micronutrients is a potential sustainable solution to global
micronutrient malnutrition. Because phytic acid (PA; 1,2,3,4,5,6-hexakis
myo-inositol) reduces mineral micronutrient bioavailability, reduction of PA
levels could increase the bioavailability of biofortified iron (Fe), zinc (Zn),
calcium (Ca), and magnesium (Mg). PA is viewed as an anti-nutrient, yet PA and
other inositol phosphates have also demonstrated positive health benefits.
Phytic acid analysis in the agricultural, food, and nutritional sciences is
typically carried out by colorimetry and chromatographic techniques. In
addition, advanced techniques such as nuclear magnetic resonance and
synchrotron X-ray absorption spectroscopy have also been used in phytic acid
analysis. The colorimetric analysis may overestimate PA levels and synchrotron
X-ray absorption techniques may not detect very low levels of inositol phosphates.
This short communication discusses the advantages and disadvantages of each
widely used phytic acid analysis method, and suggests high performance anion
exchange (HPAE) chromatography with conductivity detection (CD) based analysis
can achieve greater accuracy for the identification and quantification of
inositol phosphates. Accurate characterization and quantification of PA and
inositol phosphates will inform PA reduction and biofortification efforts,
allowing retention of the benefits of non-phytic inositol phosphates for both
plants and humans.