Selection and Use of Phytate‐Degrading LAB to Improve Cereal‐Based Products by Mineral Solubilization During Dough Fermentation

New producers of phytate-degrading enzymes, especially lactic acid bacteria (LAB), were used to improve mineral solubilization during dough fermentation. In all, among strains from different sources by microorganisms (150 lactic acid bacteria, 36 yeasts), 38 (24%) exhibited a clear zone around the colonies by hydrolyzing hexacalcium phytate contained in solid medium. When phytase-positive strains from plate assay were tested for phytase activity in liquid medium, 6 of the strains (37%) exhibited phytate-degrading activity in at least one of the 3 different media used. Of the LAB, the highest phytase values were found for Enterococcus faecium A86 (0.74 U/mL) and Lactobacillus plantarum H5 (0.71 U/mL). Two different starter cultures obtained by combinations of phytase-positive (phy+: L. plantarum H5 and L3, Leuconostoc gelidum A16, and E. faecium A86) or phytase-negative (phy-: L. gelidum LM249, L. plantarum H19, and L. plantarum L8) selected LAB strains, were used to measure mineral concentrations of iron, zinc, and manganese during dough fermentation. Although the 2 kinds of starter showed similar acidic values, the presence of phytate-degrading LAB strains increased mineral solubilization in comparison to the starter phy-.