Soy in general has high levels of phytic acid (soy phytic acid). Soy milk is high in phytic acid as well and tofu is no exception. In a 1985 study of phytic acid in soy, researchers examined the remaining phytic acid after different stages of soy preparation. Typically we see some reduction in phytic acid from simply cooking the food. You can see the results for beans and phytic acid as a point of comparison.
Notice in the graph below that soaking and boiling the soy beans made little difference in the phytic acid levels. Steaming made a bit of difference but the biggest difference came when the soy was fermented as tempeh.
Tofu in fact is soaked, strained, and cooked and then a coagulant is added. It likely retains
nearly 100% of the phytic acid. Tempeh will be a much better choice.
The graph that you see below is included in the digital phytic acid paper, a 50-page downloadable paper loaded with food science graphs and recipes to help you understand how to improve your mineral absorption through basic kitchen techniques. Read more about the phytic acid paper.
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