Use of soaking to enhance the bioavailability of iron and zinc from rice‐based complementary foods used in the Philippines

Complementary foods used in the Philippines are predominantly rice‐based, although enrichment with mung beans and sesame seeds is recommended despite their high content of phytic acid, a potent inhibitor of iron and zinc absorption. We have investigated the effect of soaking on the inositol penta‐ (IP5) and hexaphosphate (IP6) (analysed by HPLC), zinc, iron and calcium (via AAS) content of rice‐based complementary foods with and without the addition of mung beans and sesame seeds. Soaking rice flour for 1, 6 and 12 h at 30 °C reduced the content of IP5 + IP6 by 60, 65 and 98% respectively, with only slight changes in zinc, iron and calcium. Levels of IP5 + IP6 were reduced by 10 and 47% by soaking mung bean flour, but not whole beans, for 1 and 6 h respectively. In conclusion, soaking can be used to reduce the IP5 and IP6 content of complementary foods based on mung bean flour and/or rice flour and thus enhance the bioavailability of iron and zinc. © 2002 Society of Chemical Industry     

Protein and mineral content of a novel collection of wild and weedy common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L)

Protein and total calcium, iron, and zinc were determined in 70 accessions of wild and weedy common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L) from different sites in two Mexican states (Jalisco and Durango). Protein digestibility, essential amino acid profiles, tannins, phytic acid and extractable iron were determined in selected accessions. The phytate/zinc and the phytate × (calcium/zinc) molar ratios were also determined as predictors of zinc bioavailability. For comparative purposes, two cultivated common beans were included. The wild and weedy beans contained more protein and similar protein digestibility compared with cultivated samples. The contents of sulfur amino acids were low in all samples; additionally, beans from Jalisco had higher contents of sulfur amino acids than cultivated ones. Beans from Durango showed higher leucine, valine and aromatic amino acids contents than cultivated beans. Some wild and weedy beans from Jalisco and Durango showed high contents of calcium (7470 mg kg⁻¹), iron (280 mg kg⁻¹), and zinc (33.1 mg kg⁻¹). The phytic acid × (calcium/zinc) molar ratios of some wild and weedy beans were similar to those of cultivated beans. Amounts of extractable iron were in the order of 26–74%. © 2000 Society of Chemical Industry     

The effect of multi-mineral mix (Fe,Zn, Ca and Cu) on magnesium binding to starchy legumes under simulated gastrointestinal conditions

The present in vitro study on starchy legumes and their Mg bioavailability, covers the factors: cooking, dietary fibre, phytic acid and the competitive binding of other minerals. Mg-binding capacity of food legumes (butter beans, broad beans and lentils) in the raw, cooked and fibre-rich fraction (FRF) forms with Mg addition alone and with Ca, Fe, Zn and Cu (at concentrations based on the recommended daily allowance) was investigated in conditions simulating the small intestine. The three legumes in the raw and cooked forms showed more significant (P<0.01) Mg-binding when Mg was added with Ca, Fe, Zn and Cu than with Mg addition alone. The FRFs were found to bind significantly (P<0.01) more Mg than the raw and cooked forms. Cooking significantly decreased (P<0.01) the Mg-binding capacity of raw butter beans, broad beans and lentils at separate Mg addition or with Ca, Fe, Zn and Cu.     

The impact of processing on phytic acid,in vitro soluble iron and Phy/Fe molar ratio of faba bean (Vicia faba L.)

BACKGROUND: Faba bean is one of the important legumes in Asian countries. It is also a major source of micronutrients in many rural areas. Unfortunately, the bioavailability of iron from faba bean is low because it is present as an insoluble complex with food components such as phytic acid. The influence of soaking, germination and fermentation with the expectation of increasing the bioavailability of iron was investigated. RESULTS: Fermentation treatments were most effective in decreasing phytic acid (48–84%), followed by soaking at 10 °C after preheating (36–51%). Steeping faba beans for 24 h at 25 °C had the least effect on the removal of phytic acid (9–24%). With increased germination time at 30 °C, phytic acid progressively decreased from 9 to 69%. Most wet processing procedures, except soaking after wet preheating, caused losses of dry matter and iron (8–15%). In vitro iron solubility, as a percentage of total iron in soaked faba bean after dry preheating, was significantly higher than in raw faba bean (P < 0.05). Fermentation and germination did not have significant effects on the solubility of iron. CONCLUSION: The expected improvement of iron bioavailability levels due to lower phytic acid was not confirmed by increasing levels of in vitro soluble iron. Soaking, germination and fermentation can decrease phytic acid in faba bean. However, results from in vitro solubility measurement of iron showed little improvement of iron bioavailability in fermented and germinated faba beans over untreated raw faba beans (P < 0.05). It seems that componets of dietary fibre other than phytic acid are more important in binding iron. Probably, a complex association between dietary fibre and iron is the reason for the poor bioavailability of iron in faba bean. Copyright © 2009 Society of Chemical Industry     

Influence of different types of protein on in vitro availability of intrinsic and extrinsic iron and zinc

The influence of beef, pork and soy proteins on intrinsic and extrinsic iron and zinc in vitro availability was investigated, by measuring mineral dialysability. Intrinsic iron dialysability (percentage of iron dialysed) was similar in the animal proteins and higher than that from soy protein isolate (P<0·001). Intrinsic zinc dialysability from pork protein was statistically (P<0·001) higher than that from other proteins studied. Beef and soy proteins do not differ in their percentages of zinc availability. The effect on the extrinsic iron availability was different among the three proteins studied, but not on the extrinsic zinc availability. The composition of amino acids and/or the small peptides produced during the digestion process of the protein can modify the iron, and probably the zinc, availability. The inorganic zinc addition (10 μg ml⁻¹) reduced the non-haem and extrinsic iron availability, while it did not affect the haem iron availability. At the concentrations used in this study (10 μg ml⁻¹) a decrease of zinc dialysability caused by the inorganic iron addition was not observed. ©1997 SCI     

Amino Acid Composition and Some Antinutritional Factors of Cooked Faba Beans (Medammis): Effects of Cooking Temperature and Time

Easy-and hard-to-cook bean seeds were cooked by different heat treatments (100–125°C for 1–12 hr). Amino acid composition, tannins, phytic acid and trypsin inhibitor activity were determined. Almost all essential amino acids declined after cooking. Less than 10% of total tannins were decomposed during cooking, while up to 50% were leached to the cooking liquor. Retention of phytic acid in cooked beans was significantly lower than in cooked bean-liquor mixtures. Loss of phytic acid due to leaching was much higher for easy-to-cook beans than for hard-to-cook ones. Apparent retention of trypsin inhibitor activity amounted to about 50%. Optimum heat treatments were 125°C at 1 hr for easy and 120°C at 2 hr for hard-to-cook beans.     

Iron Speciation in Beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) Biofortified by Common Breeding

The iron storage protein ferritin is a potential vehicle to enhance the iron content of biofortified crops. With the aim of evaluating the potential of ferritin iron in plant breeding, we used species‐specific isotope dilution mass spectrometry to quantify ferritin iron in bean varieties with a wide range of total iron content. Zinc, phytic acid, and polyphenols were also measured. Total iron concentration in 21 bean varieties ranged from 32 to 115 ppm and was positively correlated with concentrations of zinc (P = 0.001) and nonferritin bound iron (P < 0.001). Ferritin iron ranged from 13% to 35% of total iron and increased only slightly in high iron beans (P = 0.007). Concentrations of nonferritin bound iron and phytic acid were correlated (P = 0.001), although phytic acid:iron molar ratio decreased with increasing iron concentration (P = 0.003). Most iron in high iron beans was present as nonferritin bound iron, which confirms our earlier finding showing that ferritin iron in beans was lower than previously published. As the range of ferritin iron content in beans is relatively narrow, there is less opportunity for breeders to breed for high ferritin. The relevance of these findings to the extent of iron absorption depends on resolving the question of whether ferritin iron is absorbed or not to a greater extent than nonferritin bound iron.     

Effect of soya protein on the dialysability of exogenous iron and zinc

The investigation aimed at studying the influence of soya proteins on in vitro dialysability of exogenous iron and zinc. Soyabean was processed into various components like soya flour (SF), concentrate (SC) and isolate (SI) and two peptides (<30 kDa and >30 kDa). The protein contents of SF, SC and SI were 51, 62 and 78 g/100 g, respectively. Their iron contents ranged between 9.7 and 15.8 mg/100 g and zinc contents from 3.3 to 6.7 mg/100 g. Phytic acid contents (mg/100 g) of the soya components were SF 339, SC 226, SI 186 and peptides 18–20. In SF, percent dialysable iron and zinc were 12.6 and 50, respectively, this reduced to one-third and one-fifth in SC and SI. Dialysability of exogenously added minerals was found to be significantly lower in all soya protein components. However, the inhibitory effect was less pronounced in peptides. The protein component/matrix effect needs to be investigated to counteract the inhibitory effect of soya on iron dialysability.     

Effects of legume processing on calcium,iron and zinc contents and dialysabilities

Legumes are a good source of calcium, iron and zinc, but are also a source of phytates and dietary fibre components that can negatively affect the bioavailability of these minerals. To estimate the latter, an in vitro dialysis method can be applied that gives the dialysability of a mineral as an estimate of its availability for absorption. Calcium, iron and zinc contents and dialysabilities in three legumes (beans, chickpeas and lentils) and the effects of cooking treatments and industrial processing on these parameters were studied. Beans had the highest calcium content (1.54 g kg^?1 dry matter (DM)) and chickpeas the lowest iron content (46.9 mg kg^?1 DM), whilst the zinc contents were similar in all three raw legumes (33.7–36.9 mg kg^?1 DM). Traditional and microwave cooking reduced the mineral contents by 9.7–36.4% for calcium, 14.2–31% for iron and 11.1–28.9% for zinc. The dialysabilities of calcium with respect to the values for the raw products were also reduced by these cooking techniques. Industrially processed legumes had higher dialysabilities of calcium, iron and zinc than traditionally or microwave cooked legumes. © 2001 Society of Chemical Industry     

Effects of germination on the chemical composition of Glycine and Phaseolus beans

The effects of germination on total protein and amino acids, and phytic acid of beans of Glycine max L, Glycine hispida L, Phaseolus radiatus L and Phaseolus angularis L were studied. The increase in total crude protein content was > 21% for Glycine beans and 8–15% for Phaseolus beans. There was a marked increase in the total essential amino acids of Glycine max (76%) and Phaseolus radiatus (52%). A smaller increase was observed for Phaseolus angularis (25%) and Glycine hispida (3%). The phytic acid contents of the beans were drastically reduced (< 0.2%), mainly due to leaching into the soak water. Total ash content showed a decrease, too, also due to leaching; the loss of potassium was very high whereas losses of the divalent metals, calcium, iron and magnesium, were only moderate, probably because of the ability of divalent cations to bind to protein to form proteincation-phytate complexes and also because divalent salts of phytic acid are insoluble at moderate to high pHs.     

Reduction of antiproliferative capacities,cell-based antioxidant capacities and phytochemical contents of common beans and soybeans upon thermal processing

The effects of boiling and steaming processes on the antiproliferative and cellular antioxidant properties, as well as phytochemicals, of two types of common beans (pinto and black beans) and two types of soybeans (yellow and black) were investigated. All thermal-processing methods caused significant (p < 0.05) decreases in total phenolic content (TPC), total saponin content (TSC) and phytic acid content (PAC) values in all bean types (except for TPC values in pressure-steamed yellow soybeans) as compared to those of the raw beans. All types of uncooked raw beans exhibited cellular antioxidant activities (CAA) in dose-dependent manners. Black soybeans exhibited the greatest CAA, followed by black beans, pinto beans and yellow soybeans. The CAA of cooked beans were generally diminished or eliminated by thermal processing. The hydrophilic extracts from raw pinto beans, black beans and black soybeans exhibited antiproliferation capacities against human gastric (AGS) and colorectal (SW480) cancer cells in dose-dependent manners. The raw yellow soybeans exhibited dose-dependent antiproliferation activities against the SW480 cells. Most of the cooked beans lost their antiproliferation capacities as observed in the raw beans. These results indicate that different processing methods may have various effects on phytochemical profiles and bioactivities. Overall, thermal processing caused a significant reduction of the health-promotion effects of beans.     

Oligosaccharides, Antinutritional Factors, and Protein Digestibility of Dry Beans as Affected by Processing

Dry beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) were subjected to soaking, cooking or a combination of both prior to fermentation, and then assessed for oligosaccharides, antinutritional factors and in-vitro protein digestibility. Results showed an important decrease in raffinose oligosaccharides and antinutritional factors. However, an increase of trypsin inhibitor and tannin contents occurred respectively in cooked or soaked-cooked fermented beans and in raw or soaked fermented beans. Appreciable improvement in in-vitro protein digestibility was only observed in cooked or soaked-cooked beans. After fermentation, the largest decreases were observed in soaked-cooked beans (92.75%) for raffinose, in cooked beans (31.57%) for phytic acid, in soaked beans (90.86%) for stachyose, and in raw beans for trypsin inhibitor (38.77%). The highest increase due to fermentation was observed in raw beans for in-vitro protein digestibility (1.73%).     

Improving mineral availability in soymilk by dephosphorylation of phytic acid using an alkaline phytase from Bacillus amyloliquefaciens DS11

To enhance mineral availability in soymilk, the alkaline phytase from Bacillus amyloliquefaciens DS11 was applied to degrade the phytic acid in soymilk, and resulting effects on mineral profiles were assessed. Nearly 60% of phytic acid was degraded within 25 min by treatment with 0.090 unit/mg of phytate, whereas most phytic acid was removed in 125 min using 0.18 unit/mg of phytate. Compared to a control, the free calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, and iron contents significantly (p<0.05) increased by 1.9, 1.8, 4.0, and 4.0×, respectively, after 125 min of reaction using 0.18 unit/mg of phytate. Free minerals were released from the phytate complex by enzymatic dephosphorylation, resulting in enhancement of mineral availability in soymilk. Alkaline phytase DS11 has a great potential for enhancing the mineral availability in neutral pH phytate-rich foods, like soymilk.     

Effect of phytate reduction of sorghum,through genetic modification,on iron and zinc availability as assessed by an in vitro dialysability bioaccessibility assay,Caco-2 cell uptake assay,and suckling rat pup absorption model

Improved iron and zinc availability from sorghum, a commonly consumed staple, will benefit many malnourished communities in rural Africa burdened with high prevalence of iron and zinc deficiency. This research compared the effect of genetic phytate reduction in sorghum on iron and zinc bioaccessibility and uptake measured by in vitro dialysability and Caco-2 cell uptake assays to that of iron and zinc absorption measured by a suckling rat pup model. The phytate reduction (80–86%) in these sorghums significantly increased zinc availability. The Caco-2 cell method, but not the dialysability assay, proved useful in estimating zinc absorption. The measured increase in iron availability differed between the methods, possibly due to the effect of varying mineral (Ca, Fe, Zn, P) contents of the sorghums. This effect was most prominent in the iron uptake results. More research is needed to determine the effect of naturally occurring variations in mineral contents of sorghum on the iron uptake by Caco-2 cells.     

Changes in mineral absorption inhibitors consequent to fermentation of Ethiopian injera: implications for predicted iron bioavailability and bioaccessibility

Possible changes in mineral bioavailability during processing of different types of injera sampled in Ethiopian households were assessed using different methods: phytic acid/mineral molar ratio, absorption prediction algorithm and in vitro availability measurements. Most foods analysed were rich in iron, but most of the iron likely resulted from soil contamination. The highest iron, zinc and calcium contents were found in teff–white sorghum (TwS) injera and flour. The lowest phytic acid/Fe and phytic acid/Zn molar ratios were found in barley–wheat (BW) and wheat–red sorghum (WrS) injeras. Although ideal phytic acid/Fe molar ratios (<0.4) were found in BW and WrS injeras, no significant difference between in vitro iron bioaccessibility and algorithm predicted absorption was observed. In injera, phytic acid degradation alone is unlikely to improve iron bioavailability, suggesting interactions with other absorption inhibitors. The use of phytic acid/Fe molar ratios to predict bioavailability may thus be less appropriate for iron‐contaminated foods.     

Iron, Zinc, Copper and Magnesium Binding by Cooked Pinto Bean (Phaseohs vulgaris) Neutral and Acid Detergent Fiber

Iron, copper and zinc but not magnesium were bound by neutral (NDF) and acid (ADF) detergent fiber obtained from cooked pinto beans. Iron binding increased with higher pH, higher iron concentration, higher fiber concentration and smaller fiber particle size. Maximum binding of iron was at pH 6.5 and minimal binding at pH 4.0 for both NDF and ADF. A 50% decrease in particle size increased iron binding by 8%. Binding of copper and zinc increased with higher copper and zinc concentrations. Both NDF and ADF had a greater affinity for copper than for either iron or zinc. Scatchard plots indicated the presence of two types of binding sites for zinc, one type for iron, and one type for copper.     

The impact of dehydration process on antinutrients and protein digestibility of some legume flours

Dehydrated foods are specially designed for patients with mastication or/and deglutition problems. This study has assessed the effects of soaking, cooking and industrial dehydration treatments on antinutrient factors and also on protein digestibility in legume flours (chickpea, lentil and bean). A general decline of phytic acid was observed during dehydration, being the most accentuated in case of lentil (44%), followed by white beans and pink-mottled cream beans. Beans were the legumes that showed the highest levels of enzyme inhibitors and lectins, however processing such as cooking and dehydration significantly reduced (p < 0.05) their levels further to negligible concentrations. The dehydration did not cause further effects than ordinary cooking in reduction of the concentration of polyphenolic compounds of flours. However, a higher increase of in vitro protein digestibility (IVPD) was produced by dehydration in all legumes from 12% to 15%. Thus, dehydrated legume flours could be considered ready-to-use for special meals to specific populations.     

Iron Binding by Fiber is Influenced by Competing Minerals

Iron was bound by neutral (NDF) and acid (ADF) detergent fibers extracted from cooked pinto beans (Phaseolus vulgaris). Soluble iron (total iron minus bound iron) in the presence of NDF was increased from 13.11 ± 5.08 to 35.58 ± 9.20% and from 22.22 ± 164 to 29.98 ± 0.96% when 1.17 and 1.38 ppm (18.4 and 21.4 PM) of copper and zinc were added, respectively. In contrast, 0.93 μm (14.6 PM) of copper decreased the soluble iron from 61.02 ± 5.77 to 17.88 ± 4.5% in the presence of ADF. Neither magnesium or cobalt altered the amount of soluble iron in the presence of fiber. The change in soluble iron was directly proportional to the concentration of copper and zinc. The presence of two types of binding sites is proposed.     

Content of phytic acid and HCl-extractability of calcium,phosphorus and iron as affected by various domestic processing and cooking methods

ICPL-87, the high yielding cultivar of pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan) released by ICRISAT (International Crop Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics), India was subjected to various domestic processing and cooking methods, i.e. soaking (6, 12, 18 h, 30°C), soaking (12 h) and dehulling, ordinary as well as pressure cooking and germination (24, 36 and 48 h, 30°C). The unprocessed seeds of this variety contained considerable amounts of phytic acid, (857 mg per 100 g). This was reduced significantly (P<0.05) by 6–28%, 30%, 4–32%, 4–36%, 35–45% in soaked, soaked-dehulled, ordinary as well as pressure cooked and germinated seeds, respectively. Except for soaking and dehulling, the remaining processing and cooking methods did not lower the contents of total calcium, phosphorus and iron. HCl-extractability of these dietary essential minerals, an index of their bioavailability, was enhanced significantly when the pigeon pea seeds were processed and cooked, possibly due to reduction in phytate content, which is known to chelate the minerals. A significant and negative correlation between the phytic acid and HCl-extractability of minerals further strengthens these findings.