The most effective treatments for reducing phytate content in legumes are fermentation and germination. However, these methods are of limited use, applicable only to products of specific characteristics (fermented beans, sauces,bean sprouts, etc.). On the other hand, without significantly altering the food product characteristics, phytase application offers an effective means to remove phytic acid and is particularly useful for legume-based beverages. As reviewed by
Greiner and Konietzny (2006), phytase is capable of initiating thestepwise dephosphorylation of phytate and increasing mineral bioavailability, including calcium. Until recently, phytase has been used mainly as an animal feed additive in swine and poultry diets, and, to some extent, in fish dietPhytase is now increasingly applied in the production of functional foods or food supplements with health benefits. Moreover, technical improvements by adding phytase during food processing have been reported for breadmaking, production of plant protein isolates, corn wet milling, and the fractionation of cereal bran.