| Phytate (IP-6) is a form of phosphorus found in grains, beans, and nuts. Phytate-mineral interactions are formed from these foods, causing the inhibition of absorption of divalent cations, such as zinc. Zinc is necessary for numerous functions in the body, such as providing structural integrity to enzymes and cofactors. Zinc deficiency is common in regions where phytate consumption is high, in both developed and developing countries. The purpose of this study was to estimate zinc bioavailability of foods commonly consumed in the United States by obtaining the phytate and zinc content of the foods, and calculating the phytate:zinc molar ratios. With the phytate:zinc molar ratio, the level of zinc bioavailability maybe estimated. A phytate:zinc molar ratio below10 estimates that low zinc bioavailability is possible. The phytate of the following twelve foods that are commonly eaten in the American diet was analyzed using the Shimadzu HPLC method. Once their phytate levels were determined and the zinc values were obtained from the USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, the phyate:zinc molar was calculated. The phytate:zinc molar ratio was below10 for all the foods that were analyzed, estimating low zinc bioavailability. The foods' ranged from 14.2 (Wheaties cereal) to 216.1(pistachico nuts), showing that zinc bioavailability was varied among the types of foods analyzed. All foods in the categories had molar ratios that were high and low, indicating multiple variations of the molar ratio and zinc bioavailability. It was concluded, that zinc bioavailability is low in the particular foods that were investigated. Additional research should be considered applying the phytate:zinc molar ratio to different communities that may my at risk of malnutrition. Also a database should be developed that includes the phytate:zinc molar ratio values of the foods that have been analyzed. |
