Phytase

also: 6-phytase · 3-phytase

An enzyme that breaks down phytic acid in plant foods, freeing up minerals like iron, zinc and calcium so the body can absorb them.

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E1112

Phytase

Phytase is a naturally occurring enzyme that cleaves phosphate groups from phytic acid (phytate), the main form in which phosphorus is stored in grains, legumes and seeds.

What phytase is, what it does and where you will see it

What is it?

Phytase is a naturally occurring enzyme that cleaves phosphate groups from phytic acid (phytate), the main form in which phosphorus is stored in grains, legumes and seeds. Commercial phytase preparations are produced by fermentation using fungal or bacterial microorganisms, most commonly Aspergillus niger strains. The enzyme is classified under E numbers as E1112 in some additive databases, but in EU and UK law it is primarily regulated as a food enzyme under Regulation (EC) 1332/2008 rather than as a food additive under Regulation (EC) 1333/2008. As a food enzyme it functions as a processing aid and is not required to appear as an E number on the finished-food ingredient label. In Great Britain, post-Brexit, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) now runs a separate GB food enzymes approval process; EFSA evaluations are not automatically recognised for GB authorisations, though the FSA draws on EFSA technical guidance for dossier assessment.

What does it do?

Phytic acid acts as an antinutrient: it binds tightly to mineral ions including iron, zinc, calcium, magnesium and manganese in the gut, forming insoluble complexes that cannot be absorbed. Phytase catalyses the stepwise hydrolysis of phytate, releasing the bound minerals and inorganic phosphate. In bread and cereal production the enzyme is added to dough or flour during mixing or fermentation; it acts during the warm, moist dough-rest stage and is largely inactivated by baking heat. The result is a finished product with a lower phytate content and better mineral bioavailability. Phytase also influences dough rheology, softening gluten networks slightly and improving fermentation rate.

Where you will see it

Primarily used in wholegrain bread, wholemeal flour products, high-fibre cereals, and plant-based protein processing (soy protein isolates, oat drinks). Also used in beer and other fermented grain beverages to reduce phytate haze and free phosphate. Because it functions as a processing aid and is regulated as a food enzyme rather than a food additive in the UK and EU, it may not appear on ingredient labels as E1112. Where listed, it will read as 'phytase' or 'enzyme'.

What the science says

Mineral bioavailability: the main reason it is used

Phytic acid in wholegrain foods locks up iron, zinc, calcium and other minerals so they pass through the gut unabsorbed. Multiple human dietary studies have shown that enzymatic reduction of phytate in cereal-based diets measurably improves absorption of iron and zinc, which matters most in populations where wholegrain staples are the primary calorie source and mineral deficiency is common.

Phytase treatment of cereal porridge significantly increased iron absorption in women in a randomised controlled trial, with phytate degradation of around 90% more than doubling fractional iron absorption compared with untreated porridge.

2003RCTHurrell RF et al., American Journal of Clinical Nutrition

Reduction of phytate in bread by added phytase increased zinc absorption by approximately 60% in healthy adults in a crossover study.

1999RCTSandberg AS et al., British Journal of Nutrition

EFSA food enzyme safety evaluations

EFSA's Food Contact Materials, Enzymes and Processing Aids (CEP) Panel has evaluated multiple phytase preparations submitted for authorisation under EU Regulation 1332/2008. The evaluations assessed genotoxicity, sub-chronic toxicity and allergenicity of each specific preparation. In the assessments published, the Panel found no genotoxicity signals and identified no adverse effects at the highest doses tested in 90-day rodent studies, giving margins of exposure well above regulatory thresholds.

EFSA's CEP Panel concluded that 3-phytase produced with non-genetically modified Aspergillus niger strain PHY93-08 does not give rise to safety concerns under intended conditions of use in food manufacturing, based on genotoxicity testing and a 90-day rat study with no observed adverse effect level at the highest dose tested (2,560mg total organic solids per kg body weight per day).

2024Regulatory reviewEFSA Journal, CEP Panel opinion on 3-phytase from A. niger PHY93-08

Occupational allergy: a workplace, not a dietary, concern

Enzyme powders used in baking and food manufacturing can become airborne and cause occupational respiratory allergy in workers who inhale them over time. This is a well-documented hazard for bakery workers exposed to enzyme dusts, including phytase. By the time the enzyme reaches the consumer in baked bread it has been heat-inactivated, and dietary ingestion of residual enzyme protein carries a low allergenicity risk according to EFSA evaluations. The occupational risk is a factory-worker exposure issue, not a consumer one.

Occupational respiratory allergies to phytase have been documented in bakery enzyme manufacturing and baking industry settings; EFSA noted this literature when evaluating phytase preparations but concluded dietary exposure risk from finished food is low.

2024Regulatory reviewEFSA Journal, CEP Panel opinions on food enzyme phytase preparations

Where it stands with the regulators

Phytase is used in UK and EU food production but is regulated as a food enzyme, not as a food additive. It does not appear on the UK FSA approved food additives list (which covers food additives under Regulation 1333/2008 only). In the EU, individual phytase preparations require EFSA evaluation and authorisation under Regulation (EC) 1332/2008. In Great Britain post-Brexit, the FSA runs a separate GB food enzymes approval process; EFSA evaluations are not automatically recognised for GB. A GB domestic list of food enzymes has not yet been established; in the interim, enzymes may continue to be used if they meet the requirements of assimilated Regulation (EC) 1332/2008. From 1 April 2025, future GB authorisations will be made by ministerial decision and published in an FSA-maintained register rather than by statutory instrument.

Legal basis: EU: Regulation (EC) 1332/2008 on food enzymes (EFSA evaluates each preparation). GB (post-Brexit): assimilated Regulation (EC) 1332/2008, with the FSA conducting its own separate approval process; the FSA draws on EFSA technical guidance for dossier assessment but does not automatically recognise EFSA opinions. Reformed GB authorisation process in force from 1 April 2025. Not listed in Annex II of Regulation (EC) 1333/2008 (the food additives regulation) and therefore not on the UK FSA approved-additives list.
Permitted foods: Bread and baked goods; Cereal-based products; Plant-based beverages (oat, soy); Beer and fermented grain beverages; Protein hydrolysates
Maximum levels: No numerical maximum level set in food additive law; food enzyme authorisations specify conditions of use per process.
Safe-intake limit (ADI): No numerical ADI set; food enzymes are assessed preparation-by-preparation under Regulation 1332/2008, not via a category-wide ADI.
History: Phytase has been used as a processing aid in bread and feed milling for decades. The EU established a formal food enzymes authorisation process under Regulation 1332/2008, requiring EFSA safety evaluation before new preparations can be marketed in the EU. Multiple specific phytase preparations have been submitted to EFSA for evaluation under this framework (evaluations published from the mid-2010s onwards). EFSA's CEP Panel evaluates each submitted strain and production method separately. Post-Brexit, Great Britain operates a separate food enzymes approval process run by the FSA; EFSA opinions inform but do not automatically authorise GB use. A GB domestic list of food enzymes was not yet established as of mid-2026, with the interim position allowing continued use under assimilated Regulation (EC) 1332/2008. A reformed GB authorisation process, under which future approvals are by ministerial decision published in an FSA register, came into force on 1 April 2025. As a processing aid and food enzyme, phytase is not assigned a mandatory E number under current EU/UK law, though the designation E1112 appears in some additive reference databases.

Who should be careful

No population group needs to avoid phytase on safety grounds based on current evidence. People with known allergies to Aspergillus niger or related mould species could in theory react to fungal-derived phytase preparations, though dietary exposure risk from finished baked goods is considered low because the enzyme is heat-inactivated during baking. Where phytase is declared on an ingredient label, it will read as 'phytase' or 'enzyme'.

The honest read

Phytase is one of a large class of food processing enzymes used to improve the nutritional quality of plant-based foods by reducing phytic acid. Its use is long-established in baking and grain processing. EFSA evaluates each specific preparation before it can be marketed in the EU, and the evaluations published to date have not flagged toxicological or allergenicity concerns at consumer exposure levels. In Great Britain, post-Brexit, the FSA now runs a separate approval process; a GB domestic list has not yet been established but interim rules allow continued use under assimilated EU law. The regulatory picture is slightly unusual because phytase sits under food enzyme law rather than food additive law, so it does not appear on the standard approved-additives E-number list. The science on occupational allergenicity in bakery workers is well-established; the science on consumer dietary risk from residual heat-inactivated enzyme protein in finished products is consistent with low concern based on assessments to date.

Common questions about phytase

Is E1112 banned in the UK?

No. Phytase is used in UK food production. However, it is regulated as a food enzyme under its own framework (Regulation (EC) 1332/2008) rather than as a food additive, which is why it does not appear on the UK FSA's approved food additives list. In the EU, individual phytase preparations must be evaluated by EFSA before they can be marketed. In Great Britain post-Brexit, the FSA runs a separate GB approval process and does not automatically recognise EFSA evaluations, though a full GB domestic list of food enzymes had not been established as of mid-2026 and interim rules allow continued use under assimilated EU law.

Does phytase appear on food labels?

Usually not as an E number. Because it functions as a processing aid and is classified as a food enzyme rather than a food additive, it may not require declaration as E1112 in the ingredients list. Where it is declared, it will appear as 'phytase' or 'enzyme'. In practice, most consumers eating bread or cereals will not see it listed.

What foods contain E1112?

Wholegrain bread, high-fibre breakfast cereals, plant-based drinks such as oat milk, and some beers are the most common products where phytase is used as a processing enzyme. Its main role is in wholegrain and high-phytate products where reducing phytic acid improves the mineral nutrition of the food.

Is E1112 vegan?

Commercial phytase is produced by microbial fermentation, typically using fungal strains such as Aspergillus niger, and contains no animal-derived ingredients. It is suitable for vegans and vegetarians.