What is Phytic Acid and How to Eliminate It from Food

Phytic acid, also called phytate, prevents the absorption of nutrients in the body, but it can be almost completely eliminated from food.

phytic acid

Edited and resized image of Milada Vigerova, is available on Unsplash

Phytic acid is an antinutrient compound present in vegetables that can impede or hinder the absorption of essential nutrients by the digestive system. It is particularly present in grains and vegetables. But the good news is that phytic acid can be almost completely eliminated from food. Check out:

What is Phytic Acid?

Phytic acid, also called phytate, is not a major concern for most people, but it can become a problem during periods of malnutrition, or among people who base their diets almost exclusively on grains and vegetables.

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It is one of several existing antinutrients, such as tannins, and may also have some beneficial effects on health (see studies on this here: 1, 2 ,3).

Antinutrients that are most studied include:

  • Phytate (phytic acid): Mainly found in seeds, grains and legumes, phytate reduces the absorption of minerals from a meal. These include iron, zinc, magnesium and calcium (see study about this: 4);
  • Tannins: A class of antioxidant polyphenols that can impair the digestion of various nutrients (see study about it here: 5).
  • Lectins: Found in all food plants, especially in seeds, legumes and grains. Some lectins can be harmful in high amounts and interfere with nutrient absorption (see studies about it here: 6, 7).
  • Protease Inhibitors: Widely distributed among plants, especially in seeds, grains and legumes. They interfere with protein digestion by inhibiting digestive enzymes.
  • Calcium Oxalate: The primary form of calcium in many vegetables, such as spinach. Calcium bound to oxalate is poorly absorbed (see studies about it here: 8, 9).

Immersion

Beans and other legumes such as lentils and chickpeas can be left to soak in water overnight to improve their nutritional value (see study about it here: 10). Most of the phytic acid present in legumes is found in the skin. Since many antinutrients are water soluble, they simply dissolve when food is immersed in water.

In legumes, soaking has been found to decrease phytic acid, protease inhibitors, lectins, tannins and calcium oxalate. A 12-hour soak of peas, for example, reduced the phytate content of peas by up to 9% (see study here: 10).

Another study found that soaking pigeon pea for six to 18 hours decreased lectins by 38-50%, tannins by 13-25% and protease inhibitors by 28-30%. However, the reduction of antinutrients may depend on the type of legume. In beans, soybeans and broad beans, immersion reduces protease inhibitors very little (see the studies about it here: 11, 12, 13).

But it's not just in the case of legumes that immersion works, leafy vegetables can also be soaked in water to reduce some of their calcium oxalate (see study on this: 14).

The immersion technique can be used in combination with other methods such as sprouting, fermenting and cooking.

budding

Budding, also called germination, can increase the availability of nutrients in seeds, grains and legumes (see study about it here: 14). To sprout the grains and seeds it is necessary:

  1. Start by rinsing the seeds to remove all debris, dirt and dirt;
  2. Soak the seeds for two to 12 hours in cold water. Soaking time depends on the type of seed;
  3. Wash them thoroughly in water;
  4. Drain as much water as possible and place the seeds in a sprouting pot (without direct sunlight), also called a sprouter. You can also purchase the Easy Broto;
  5. Repeat washing and draining two to four times. This should be done regularly or once every eight-12 hours.

During germination, changes occur within the seed that lead to the degradation of antinutrients, such as phytate and protease inhibitors. Sprouting has been shown to reduce phytic acid by 37-81% in various types of grains and legumes (see studies about it here: 11, 12, 13). Furthermore, in another study, this process also decreased lectins and protease inhibitors. Learn more about this topic in the article: "Why grow edible sprouts?".

Fermentation

Fermentation is an ancient method originally used to preserve food. It is a natural process that occurs when microorganisms, such as bacteria or yeast, begin to digest carbohydrates in food.

Although food that accidentally becomes fermented is most often considered toxic, controlled fermentation is widely used in food production and can still preserve probiotics (in some cases, such as sauerkraut), which are beneficial microorganisms for intestinal health. Learn more about them in the article: "What are probiotic foods?".

Food products that are processed by fermentation include yogurt, wine, beer, coffee, cocoa, sauerkraut, kinchee and soy sauce. Another good example of fermented food is slow-fermenting bread.

Fermentation degrades phytic acid and other antinutrients present in grains, leading to a greater availability of nutrients (see studies about it here: 14, 15, 16). The fermentation of sourdough (yeast dough) is more effective in reducing antinutrients in grains than the fermentation of common yeast (see studies on this here: 17, 18).

In many grains and legumes, fermentation effectively degrades phytates and lectins (see studies on this here: 19, 20, 21, 22).

Boil

Boiling can degrade antinutrients such as lectins, tannins and protease inhibitors (see studies about it here: 23, 24, 25, 26). One study showed that boiling pigeon pea for 80 minutes reduced protease inhibitors by 70%, lectin by 79% and tannin by 69% ( 12 ).

Additionally, calcium oxalate is reduced by 19-87% in boiled green leafy vegetables. Cooking and baking, on the other hand, are not as effective methods (see studies on this here: 27, 28). Phytic acid, however, is heat resistant and is not so easily degraded with boiling (see studies about it here: 29, 30).

The cooking time required depends on the type of antinutrient, the vegetable and the cooking method. Generally, a longer cooking time results in a greater reduction in antinutrients.


Adapted from Atli Anarson


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