No abstract

Simulations of gastro-intestinal digestion, used to estimate in vitro iron and zinc availability, were performed on two kinds of samples: (i) samples with decreased phytate contents from whole pearl millet flour and (ii) nondephytinized or dephytinized samples from two pearl millet grain fractions, a decorticated fraction with low fiber and tannin contents and a bran fraction with high fiber and tannin contents. Iron and zinc in vitro availabilities of whole pearl millet flour were significantly improved by phytate degradation, even if the IP6 were not all degraded. Total dephytinization of decorticated fraction led to a marked increase in iron and zinc in vitro availabilities, but that of bran fraction had no effect on either iron or zinc in vitro availability. Even if phytates are involved in reducing in vitro iron and zinc availability in pearl millet flour, fibers and tannins play an important role by chelating a high proportion of iron and zinc in grain hulls.

The degradation and leaching of phytates, phytase activity and iron and zinc concentrations have been studied after soaking of whole seeds, dehulled seeds and flours of millet and soybean, in order to investigate the efficiency of soaking on reducing Phy/Fe and Phy/ Zn molar ratios. When using millet grains, dehulling and milling before soaking facilitated the leaching of phytates and phytases in the aqueous medium and hence phytate degradation. Dehulling of soybean seeds led to a marked increase in phytate content, whereas milling favoured reactions between phytases and phytates. The Phy/Fe and Phy/ Zn molar ratios decreased only slightly during soaking. The highest decreases for millet were obtained after soaking of flour for 8 h (Phy/Fe: 10.8-7.7 and Phy/Zn: 20.3-15.1), and after soaking of whole seeds for 24 h for soybean (Phy/Fe: 10.4-9.4 and Phy/Zn: 23.8-19.1). Cooking of flours with water used for soaking did not increase phytate degradation.

In vitro digestions were performed on pearl millet flours with decreased phytate contents and on two dephytinized or nondephytinized pearl millet grain fractions, a decorticated fraction, and a bran fraction with low and high fiber and tannin contents, respectively. Insoluble residues of these digestions were then incubated with buffer or enzymatic solutions (xylanases and/or phytases), and the quantities of indigestible iron and zinc released by these different treatments were determined. In decorticated pearl millet grain, iron was chelated by phytates and by insoluble fibers, whereas zinc was almost exclusively chelated by phytates. In the bran of pearl millet grain, a high proportion of iron was chelated by iron-binding phenolic compounds, while the rest of iron as well as the majority of zinc were chelated in complexes between phytates and fibers. The low effect of phytase action on iron and zinc solubility of bran of pearl millet grain shows that, in the case of high fiber and tannin contents, the chelating effect of these compounds was higher than that of phytates.

No abstract