Journal of Energy Bioscience 2025, Vol.16, No.3, 139-150 http://bioscipublisher.com/index.php/jeb 143 Figure 2 Schematic representation of Fe/Zn biofortification using modern genomic resources (Adopted from Ali and Borrill, 2020) 5 Factors Affecting Bioavailability of Iron in Wheat Grains 5.1 Phytate content: Its role as an anti-nutrient and strategies to reduce it Phytic acid is the main "anti-nutritional factor" in wheat grains. It binds to iron, making it more difficult for the body to absorb the iron (Singh et al., 2013; Abid et al., 2017; Huyskens et al., 2025). Abid et al. (2017) found that adding the phytase gene to wheat can reduce the phytic acid in the grain, making iron and zinc easier to absorb. The phytic acid content of these transgenic wheats can be reduced by up to 76%, and the utilization rate of iron can be greatly improved. In addition to transgenic, some simple treatment methods are also useful, such as heat treatment. If hydrothermal treatment with citric acid buffer is used, the absorption rate of iron can be increased by 6 times compared to the original (Huyskens et al., 2025). Some studies have also pointed out that the relationship between phytic acid and iron may be different for different wheat varieties. Wright et al. (2021) found through research that sometimes, even if phytic acid is reduced, iron absorption remains unchanged. This shows that simply reducing phytic acid may not be enough. 5.2 Polyphenols and other inhibitors In addition to phytic acid, wheat also contains polyphenols and other "blockers" that can also affect iron absorption (Singh et al., 2013; Tanin et al., 2024). These substances form insoluble complexes with iron, making iron difficult to absorb. The distribution of iron in the grain and its combination with elements such as phosphorus and sulfur will also affect the body's utilization of iron. Different varieties of wheat may have different locations of iron in their bodies, which can also lead to different absorption effects (Singh et al., 2013).
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