Deglycosylation and absorption
After ingestion of isoflavone-rich foods, the isoflavone
glycosides, which are considered biologically inactive,
undergo deglycosylation. For many years it was assumed
that only the β-glucosidases of gut microflora
were responsible for deglycosylation reactions. However,
recent studies have demonstrated that deglycosylation
of genistin (genistein 7-O-glucoside) to genistein
already begins in the mouth (Allred et al., 2001)
and then continues in the small intestine (Day et al.,
1998).