Biotechnological studies on phytate degrading lactic acid bacteria: screening, isolation, characterization and application.

Cereals, pulses and legume based commodities are rich and low-cost
sources of nutrients for a large part of the World’s population. But their nutritive
value is limited by the presence of several antinutritional substances, like myoinositol
hexakisphosphate (IP6). Its negative charge make positively charged
minerals unavailable for biological activities. Monogastric individuals do not
contain the mechanism to hydrolyze IP6, hence needed processed food with lower
levels of phytic acid for the improved nutritive substances ailable for biological
activities.
Hydrolysis of IP6 into lower inositol phosphates can lead to mineral
availability which can be employed through enzymes such as phytase (EC 3.1.3.8
and 3.1.3.26). The phytase enzyme is widely distributed in plants,
microorganisms and animals, which helps in improved availability of nutritional
factors by degrading IP6. Among the microorganisms members of lactic acid
bacteria (LAB) such as Lactobacillus species was found to have phytase enzyme.
Several studies on LAB conducted to examine their role in enhancing bioaccessible
minerals during sourdough fermentation process. But the mechanism
behind their role unrevealed. Hence, this study proposed with the following
hypothesizes to find the role of phytate degrading LAB with improved mineral
availability during different food fermentation processes.