What is Phytic Acid?

What is Phytic Acid?
Is phytic acid an undesirable ingredient? It is getting harder and harder to answer this question. While phytic acid contributes to mineral/protein deficiency, it also provides potential physiological benefits. Following the growing market of plant-based foods, an unbiased understanding of these interactions and their effects on foods is noteworthy.
Discovered in 1903, phytic acid is naturally found in many fiber-rich plants such as grains, legumes, and nuts. Due to its chemical structure that forms a complex with phytic acid minerals and proteins, it has attracted great attention due to its function of reducing bioavailability. Later studies realized that phytic acid may provide health benefits because metal ions are harmful under certain conditions. For example, it is stated that iron and copper play a role in oxidation and tumor cell proliferation. Obviously, a chelator is desirable in such cases.
Although it is concluded that phytate is not an undesirable component for plant-based foods in terms of food processing, we can state that it is important for future studies to address the general bias towards phytate as an anti-nutrient with the comprehensive information obtained on phytate-protein interactions. The decision as to whether the presence of phytate is desired in a specific application should be made based on the nutritional or processing requirements of the product. In particular, as phytate becomes increasingly popular in other industries as a molecular binder and functional component, disposing of phytate-rich agricultural waste can become detrimental to sustainability and environmental health.
Source: Wang, R., & Guo, S. (2021). Phytic acid and its interactions: Contributions to protein functionality, food processing, and safety. Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety, 20(2), 2081-2105.