Cereal Chem 48:312 - 320.  |  VIEW ARTICLE
A Method for Phytic Acid Determination in Wheat and Wheat Fractions.

E. L. Wheeler and R. E. Ferrel. Copyright 1971 by the American Association of Cereal Chemists, Inc. 

To assure adequate iron and calcium supplementation in cereal foods and feeds, and to measure the effectiveness of processing designed to reduce their phytate content, a relatively rapid, accurate method is necessary for the determination of phytic acid in wheat, wheat milling by-products, and high-protein flours made from them. A modification of the McCance-Widdowson method for determining phytic acid is reported. The phytate is extracted with trichloroacetic acid and precipitated as the ferric salt. The iron content of the precipitate is determined colorimetrically and the phytate phosphorus content calculated from this value assuming a constant 4 Fe:6 P molecular ratio in the precipitate. The factors affecting this ratio were investigated and are discussed. Applicability of the method to other whole grain cereals is demonstrated.