Anti-nutritional factors: Nutrient interactions, processing interventions, and health aspects

Plant-based foods are valuable sources of essential minerals and macronutrients. However, their bioavailability is significantly affected by anti-nutritional factors (ANFs), which can reduce nutrient intake, hinder digestion, and decrease metabolic utilization of feed. Hence, this review aims to provide comprehensive insight into various aspects of ANFs in food, including their background and interaction mechanisms with nutrients (mineral chelation, enzyme inhibition, and intestinal barrier disruption). The effectiveness of different conventional and novel technologies for reducing ANFs has been thoroughly discussed, and their limitations have been highlighted. For example, soaking typically reduces phytic acid content by 20–40 %, whereas germination and fermentation can achieve 40–80 % reduction. Extrusion and cold plasma have been reported to lower the contents of tannins and trypsin inhibitors by more than 80 % under optimized conditions. This study also explores the impact of ANFs on nutrient bioavailability and highlights dietary strategies and biological activities after the consumption of ANF-rich foods.