Degradation of Phytate in Foods by Phytases in Fruit and Vegetable Extracts

Abstract

ABSTRACT The ability of phytases from fresh fruits and vegetables to degrade phytate in foods was determined in vitro. In contrast to the more consistent presence of phytase in vegetables, only a few fruits contained detectable phytase activity. The highest phytase activities were 121 and 97 nmol min ‐1 g ‐1 in scallion leaves and avocado fruit, respectively. Avocado fruit also contained 0.14% phytate on a wet‐weight basis. Crude phytase extracts were incubated with ground corn tortillas or refried beans at 37 °C. Most of the phytate was degraded within 30 min by a 4‐fold excess by dry weight of scallion leaves. Avocado extracts incubated alone metabolized most of their endogenous phytate within 2 h.