Abstract
Phytate is widely distributed in the plant kingdom, and its significance for human nutrition has been often described. Data on phytate is available in very few composition tables, for a limited number of foods and mainly for raw products. With the aim of publishing the first global repository of analytical data on phytate, data on moisture, phytate, zinc, iron and calcium were compiled. Other aspects, such as the analytical method used, biodiversity and processing, were considered, and phytate: mineral ratios were calculated when possible. From a comprehensive literature search, over 250 references were compiled, generating 3377 entries: 39% for raw and 61% for processed foods. Most of the entries were for cereals (35%), followed by legumes (27%) and vegetables (11%). The most common analytical methods used were indirect precipitation (26%) and anion exchange (25%), while separate determination of IPs is the most recommended. The database can be used as a tool for nutrition workers to include into food composition tables and to develop programmes related to mineral deficiencies. These data will be useful for designing diets with enhanced mineral bioavailability and for improving the estimates for nutrient requirements. The database is available at the INFOODS (www.fao.org/infoods/infoods/tables-and-databases/en) and IZiNCG webpages (www.izincg.org).
Highlights
There are approximately 2 billion people in the world who suffer from micronutrient deficiencies (Global Nutrition Report, 2016)
The database, including the complete list of references used for compilation, and the User Guide are freely available at the INFOODShomepage and at the International Zinc Nutrition Consultative Group (IZiNCG) webpage
Depending on the degree of phosphorylation of the inositol, the tagnames assigned in the PhyFoodComp ranged from inositol triphosphate (IP3) to inositol hexaphosphate (IP6) — from three to six phosphate groups — for the individual inositol phosphates (IPs)
Summary
There are approximately 2 billion people in the world who suffer from micronutrient deficiencies (Global Nutrition Report, 2016). An estimated 17.3% of the world’s population is at risk of inadequate zinc intake (Wessells and Brown, 2012) while almost 30% are anaemic, many due to iron deficiency (WHO, 2013). Both zinc and iron deficiencies constitute a significant public health problem. It is important to note that phytate has been considered as a natural antioxidant by some authors, mainly by the virtue of forming a unique iron chelate that suppresses iron-catalysed oxidative reactions (Graf and Eaton, 1990; Empson et al, 1991). Phytate is one of the important compounds to be considered when
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