Phytic acid level in infant flours

This study determined the phytic acid content in the infant flour commonly consumed in the Canary Islands. A total of 400 samples from different cerea ls was analyzed. The method proposed by Garcia-Villanova et al. (1982) [Gar cia-Villanova, R., Garcia-Villanova, R. J., Ruiz de Lope, C. (1982). Determ ination of phytic acid by complexometric titration of excess of iron (III). Analyst 107, 1503-1506] was the one used for determination of the phytic a cid content in cereal flours. Phytic acid concentrations are within the ran ge < 1- greater than or equal to 36 mg/g. The arithmetic mean obtained from all the samples studied is 24.6 mg/g. Most of the samples studied show a p hytic acid content higher than 20 mg/g, and much lower values are observed in gluten-free flours (< 5 mg/g). Significant differences are observed for the different flour types. Gluten-free flour has a content lower than the r est; 9-cereal flour has a phytate concentration lower than the other flours tested but higher than gluten-free flour. Among wheat samples, phytate val ues are lower than in the varieties muesli-chocolate, 7-cereal, 8-cereal, m ulticereal and cereal-biscuit. Multicereal flour has a lower content than m uesli-chocolate. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.