Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A compound, C6H18O24P6, found abundantly in seeds and the bran of grain, that is the principal storage form of phosphorus in plants. Phytic acid is a strong chelator of calcium, zinc, and other minerals essential for animal metabolism, and diets based on foods high in phytic acid, such as unrefined flour, can cause mineral deficiencies unless it is broken down by the sprouting of the seeds or the fermentation of the foods by acid-producing bacteria such as those found in sourdough leaven.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun organic chemistry The compound inositol hexaphosphoric acid' present in
cereals etc asalkali andalkaline earth salts ; it is a source ofphosphorus forruminants but isindigestible forcarnivores
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
[phyt(in), salt of phytic acid (from German Phytin : phyto-, phyto- + -in, -in) + –ic.]
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