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Myo-inositol his-, tris-, tetrakis-, pentakis-and hexakisphosphates (IP2-6) were quantified in nine thermally processed or fermented food products. Total inositol phosphate content (mmol/kg dry weight) ranged from 1.35 in white bread to 23.26 in tofu and 26.05 in soy isolate. In all foods analyzed, inositol hexalcisphosphate (phytic acid) accounted for more than 40% of the total inositol phosphates on a molar basis.Step-gradient ion exchange and' ferric chloride precipitation methods for phytate determination were evaluated with a soy isolate sample to which inositol phosphates or adenosine triphosphate (ATP) had been added individually. Both methods measured all of the inositol phosphates, while the former also measured ATP.

Previous work (1,2) has shown that a relatively short period of dietary zinc deficiency in pergnant rats leads to a high incidence of congenital malformations in the offspring. In addition, it was demonstrated that growth ceases in weanling rats within a few days after the beginning of a zinc-deficient regime ( 3 ) . The rapidity with which these effects were induced suggested that a physiological state of zinc deficiency occurred in rats before there was any significant depletion of the body zinc deposits.In the present investigation, plasma zinc levels were studied in an attempt to establish the rate at which zinc (becomes limiting in rats deprived of this element. In addition, since zinc is reported to occur in particular abundance in the white cells (4) an investigation was made into the effect of zinc deficiency upon the concentration of zinc in the leukocytes of adult rats and the total and differential leukocyte counts.Methods. Virgin female (210 t 1 0 gm) and weanling male ( 5 0 t 5 gm) rats of the Sprague-Dawley strain were purchased from a commercial source. The weanling males were given the experimental diets on arrival, whereas the adult females were fed the zinc-supplemented (control) diet for a few days while mating was effected. All animals were housed individually in stainless steel cages and stringent precautions were taken to eliminate zinc contamination from the environment ( 3 ) . The basal zinc-deficient diet consisted of, in percent, soybean protein,I 30.0; sucrose, 57.3; corn oil, 8.0; salt mix,2 4.0; and * Supported in part by Grant No. HD 01743 from the National Institute of Health. 1 ADM C-1 Assay Protein, Archer-Daniels-Midland Company, Cincinnati, Ohio. 2 Composition of basal salt mix in grams: CaC03, 600; Ca(H2P0,)2 H a , 220; K2HP04, 650; NaCI, 336; MgSO4*7HaO, 250; FeSOcfH?O, SO; MnS04=Hs0, 4.6; KI, 1.6; CuS04*5H&, 0.6. of California, Davis, California 95616DL-methionhe, 0.7. The soybean protein was treated with ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) to lower its zinc content (3,5), and the entire ration was assayed by atomic absorption spectroscopy and found to contain 0.36 2 0.05 ppm of zinc. Crystalline &am-ins3 were given separately. The control animals received the same diet supplemented with 100 ppm of zinc as zinc carbonate.Pregnant adult rats were given the experimental diets on day zero of gestation so that the number of days of pregnancy corresponded to the number of days on the experimental regime. Matings were carefully timed by observation of sperm in the daily vaginal smear; the day of finding sperm was considered day zero of gestation.Pair-fed (control) animals received daily amounts of the zinc-supplemented diet that were equal to the food intake of their paired, zinc-ddcient counterparts for the previous day.Paired-weight (control) weanlings received amounts of the zinc-supplemented diet that were adjusted daily in order to ensure that their body weight changes paralleled those of their paired, zinc-deficient counterparts. This group was included in order to provide...

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