ABSTRACT Probiotics are live microorganisms that help to maintain a healthy digestive system. They are currently used for the treatment of diarrhea, obesity, urinary tract infections and psychiatric disorders. An anti-nutrient like phytate chelates essential minerals like Ca2+, Mg2+, Zn2+ etc. which are essential for human health. Since past few decades, many research reports emphasize extensively on degradation of phytates in animals. As monogastric animals are unable to produce phytase, there is a need to find alternate ways for utilizing phytate in humans. Nowadays, probiotics can be used for producing phytase to overcome deficiency of minerals in humans. This review mainly focuses on improving the phosphate bioavailability by two approaches: (1) using fermented food products containing probiotics and (2) use of recombinant DNA technology for producing phytase in bacteria.
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