ANTINUTRIENTS

RATNAYANI
What are antinutrients
• Antinutrients are chemicals which have been evolved by plants for
their own defense, among other biological functions and reduce the
maximum utilization of nutrients especially proteins, vitamins, and
minerals.

• Some of these plant chemicals have been shown to be deleterious to

health or evidently advantageous to human and animal health if
consumed at appropriate amounts
Tannins
Tannin is an astringent, bitter plant polyphenolic compound that either
binds protein and various other organic compounds including amino acids
and alkaloids
Tannins are heat stable
Decreased protein digestibility in animal and humans, probably by either
making protein partially unavailable or inhibiting enzymes and increasing
fecal nitrogen
Inhibit the activities of tripsin, chemotrypsin, amylase and lipase, decrease
the protein quality of foods and interferes with dietary iron absorption
If tannin concentration in the diet becomes too high, microbial enzymes
activities including cellulose and intestinal digestion may be depressed
Tannins
 Food source of tannins
• Cereals: barley, sorghum
• Beverages: beer, wine, tea
• Chocolate: cacao beans
• Fruits: apple, berries, cherries, grapes, pomegranate
• Legumes: beans, chickpeas, black eyed peas, lentils
• Nuts: cashew, pecan, walnut, peanut
• Veggies: squash, rubbab
Phytates
 Phytates is regarded as the primary storage of phosphorus
Affecting the bioavailability of minerals: calcium (Ca), Iron (Fe),
Cupper (Cu), Zinc (Zn), Magnesium (Mg)
Source of Phytates: grains, nuts, legumes, seeds
Oxalate
 Strong bonds are formed between oxalic acid and various other
mineral such as calcium, magnesium, sodium, and potasium
 This chemical combination results in the formation of oxalate salts.
Example: calcium oxalate
 High concentration  form crystal  play a role to the formation of
kidney stones in the urinary tract
 Source: Spinach, rubarb, buckwheat, amaranth, almond, cocoa, tea,
coffee, parsley, chives
Lectin
 Lectins are glycoprotein
 Bind carbohydrate membrane receptor
 have the capability to directly bind to the intestinal mucosa,
interacting with the enterocytes and interfering with the absorption
and transportation during digestion and causing epithelial lesions
within the intestine
 excess consumption of lectin: can cause severe intestinal damage,
disruption digestion and causing nutrient deficiencies
 they can provoke IgG and IgM antibodies causing food allergies and
other immune system
 Source: cereal, beans and legumes, potatoes
Protease inhibitor
 Inhibit the activity of proteolytic enzymes within the gastrointestinal
tract.
 Trypsin inhibitor and chymotrypsin inhibitor are protease inhibitors
that inhibit the activity of the enzymes trypsin and chymotrypsin in
the gut
 easyly denaturated by heat processing
Source: legumes, cereals
Process to Reduce Antinutrients
1. Milling
• Milling is the most commonly used method to remove the bran layer from the
grain
• This technique removes the antinutrients such as phytic acid and also
removes the major parts of minerals and dietary fiber

2. Soaking
• Activating phytase enzymes
• Reduce phytic acid
• It is pre treatment before cooking
• Important method helped in germination and fermentation of cereals
• Temperature soaking : 45 – 65 C
Process to Reduce Antinutrients
3. Fermentation
• Decrease the levels of antinutrients in food
• Increase in vitro protein digestibility and bioavailability

4. Germination
• Highly effective method to reduction of phytic acid content by up to 40%
• The combination process more effective than the only single process
• Germinated pearl millet were fermented with mixed pure cultures of Saccharomyces
diasticus, S. cerevisiae, Lactobacillus brevis and L. Food and Health reduce 88.3% of phytate
content
Process to Reduce Antinutrients
5. Heat processing
• Boiling: improves the nutritional quality of food due to reduction in antinutrient
• Soaking and cooking: more effective to reduce phytic acid level than only for a short
duration
• Pressure cooking was more effective than ordinary cooking in reducing the antinutrients of
black beans and mung beans