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Autohydrolysis of phytic acid
S R Hull1, J S Gray, R Montgomery
1Department of Pathology, Department of Biochemistry, University of Iowa, Iowa, Iowa City 52242, USA.
Analytical Biochemistry
|September 2, 1999
Summary
Autohydrolysis of phytic acid yields various myo-inositol phosphates. A novel two-tiered chromatographic method combined with NMR rapidly identifies these compounds in complex mixtures.
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- Analytical Chemistry
Background:
- Phytic acid is a major phosphorus storage compound in plants.
- Understanding its breakdown products, myo-inositol phosphates, is crucial for nutrition and agriculture.
- Existing methods for inositol phosphate analysis can be complex and time-consuming.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a rapid and sensitive method for identifying myo-inositol phosphates.
- To characterize the products of phytic acid autohydrolysis.
- To apply the developed method to a complex natural mixture.
Main Methods:
- Autohydrolysis of phytic acid at 120°C.
- Partial purification using preparative anion-exchange chromatography (acidic and alkaline elution).
- Separation and identification using two High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) systems and 1D/2D ¹H Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy.
Main Results:
- Formation of multiple myo-inositol phosphate esters (mono- to hexakisphosphates) dependent on reaction time.
- Characterization of 18 distinct inositol phosphates.
- Successful application of the two-tiered chromatographic approach to analyze inositol phosphates from corn steep water.
Conclusions:
- The developed two-tiered chromatographic method offers a rapid and sensitive approach for inositol phosphate identification.
- This method is effective for analyzing complex mixtures, such as those derived from natural sources.
- The study provides insights into the autohydrolysis pathway of phytic acid.