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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Aberdeen, Idaho » Small Grains and Potato Germplasm Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #174961

Title: ZINC ABSORPTION FROM LOW-PHYTATE HYBRIDS OF MAIZE AND THEIR WILD-TYPE ISOHYBRIDS.

Author
item HAMBIDGE, K. - UNIV OF COLORADO
item HUFFER, J. - UNIV OF COLORADO
item Raboy, Victor
item GRUNWALD, G. - UNIV OF COLORADO
item WESTCOTT, J. - UNIV OF COLORADO
item MILLER, L. - UNIV OF COLORADO
item DORSCH, J. - FORMER USDA/ARS EMPLOYEE
item KREBS, N. - UNIV OF COLORADO

Submitted to: The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/20/2003
Publication Date: 6/1/2004
Citation: Hambidge, K.M., Huffer, J.W., Raboy, V., Grunwald, G.K., Westcott, J.L., Sian, L., Miller, L.V., Dorsch, J.A., Krebs, N.F. 2004. Zinc absorption from low-phytate hybrids of maize and their wild-type isohybrids.. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 79: 1053-1059.

Interpretive Summary: Seed-derived phytic acid can contribute to mineral deficiencies, such as iron and zinc deficiency, in humans. When consumed in a food, dietary phytic acid binds to nutritionally important minerals like iron and zinc, reducing the utilization of these minerals. Excretion of minerals bound to phytic acid can contribute to mineral deficiency. This study showed that when volunteers consumed foods prepared with low phytic acid corn, retention of zinc from the food was increased proportionally to the decrease in phytic acid, as compared with retention of zinc from foods prepared with 'normal phytic acid' corn. This demonstrates that use of low phytic acid corn in foods might contribute to improved zinc nutrition in populations that rely on diets dependent on grains such as corn.

Technical Abstract: Background: The identification of allelic variants in a single gene that determine the phytate content of maize kernels and subsequent breeding of low phytate maize have facilitated studies designed to determine quantitatively the effects of a wide range of maize phytate on the