Phytic acid: biosynthesis, functional attributes and conventional vis-a-vis modern approaches for reduction

Abstract

Phytic acid is plant-based organic phosphorus stored during maturation. It serves a dual purpose in plant tissues by acting as storage for phosphorus and regulates various cellular processes. From a nutritional perspective, chelating ability of phytic acid is considered as a potential health drawback, while in other ways as a most valuable trait. Phytic acid accumulates in seeds during their developmental stages and is synthesized through two distinct pathways i.e. one is independent of lipids and the other is dependent on lipids. Beginning with a simple precipitation method involving the formation of insoluble ferric phytate in an acidic solution, the methods for quantifying phytic acid have evolved over time to encompass various instrumental approaches, including colorimetry, high-performance ionic chromatography, and high-performance liquid chromatography. Enzymatic reduction using phytases plays a crucial role in converting phytic acid into different inositol phosphates and inorganic phosphorus. Decreasing the phytic acid content in cereal grains is a desirable objective for development of genetically improved crops, which are used in food and feed applications. Phytic acid is not a foe as it has been shown in literature studies. It performs various metabolic functions as well as acts as a reservoir of nutrients for plants and animals. This review explores the advantages and disadvantages of phytic acid, its accumulation, estimation, and reduction using modern tools of genome editing, such as transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALEN), zinc-finger nucleases (ZFN), and clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats with CRISPR-associated protein 9 (CRISPR/Cas9).