The effects of selenium biofortification on mercury bioavailability and toxicity in the lettuce-slug food chain

Microgreens Biometric and Fluorescence Response to Iron (Fe) Biofortification

Microgreens are foods with high nutritional value, which can be further enhanced with biofortification. Crop biofortification involves increasing the accumulation of target nutrients in edible plant tissues through fertilization or other factors. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the potential for biofortification of some vegetable microgreens through iron (Fe) enrichment. The effect of nutrient solution supplemented with iron chelate (1.5, 3.0 mg/L) on the plant's growth and mineral concentration of purple kohlrabi, radish, pea, and spinach microgreens was studied. Increasing the concentration of Fe in the medium increased the Fe content in the leaves of the species under study, except for radish. Significant interactions were observed between Fe and other microelements (Mn, Zn, and Cu) content in the shoots. With the increase in the intensity of supplementation with Fe, regardless of the species, the uptake of zinc and copper decreased. However, the species examined suggested that the response to Fe enrichment was species-specific. The application of Fe didn't influence plant height or fresh and dry weight. The chlorophyll content index (CCI) was different among species. With increasing fertilisation intensity, a reduction in CCI only in peas resulted. A higher dose of iron in the medium increased the fluorescence yield of spinach and pea microgreens. In conclusion, the tested species, especially spinach and pea, grown in soilless systems are good targets to produce high-quality Fe biofortified microgreens.

Effect of vanadium on Lactuca sativa L. growth and associated health risk for human due to consumption of the vegetable

Elevated vanadium in the environment adversely affects organisms, including plants, animals, and humans. Plants act as the main conduit for environmental vanadium to enter the food chain, and simultaneously their growth response characteristics reflect vanadium toxicity efficacy for plants. The aim of the present study is to investigate lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) growth involving morphological change, physiological adjustment, vanadium accumulation under vanadium stress, and the potential health risk (expressed as health risk index (HRI)) of adults and children who consume it. Lettuce was grown in nutrient solution with 0, 0.1, 0.5, 2.0, and 4.0 mg L-1 of pentavalent vanadium [V(V)]. Results showed that 0.1 mg L-1 V did not significantly affect lettuce growth versus control, and marked depression arose at ≥ 0.5 mg L-1 V. Foliar proline increased rapidly at ≥ 0.5 mg L-1 V. No striking change emerged in leaf cell membrane permeability at all treatments. V(V) and total vanadium concentration in plant tissues were ordered as root > stem > leaf, while tetravalent vanadium [V(IV)] was leaf > root > stem. No health risk (HRI < 1) exists for adults and children who consume lettuce at control treatment. However, the health risk occurs (HRI ˃ 1) when they both ingest the seedlings exposed to ≥ 0.1 mg L-1 V, and the risk overall markedly increases with increasing vanadium. Therefore, enough attention needs to be paid to the human health associated with the ingestion of vegetables like lettuce grown in substrata contaminated by vanadium.

Biofortification of edible plants with selenium and iodine - A systematic literature review

Soil depletion with absorbed forms of microelements is a realistic problem leading to the formation of many human, plant, animal diseases related with micronutrient deficiencies. Searching for new ways to solve this problem is a crucial for the agro-chemical approach to food production. There are many research papers on plant micronutrient fertilization. However, there is still a lack of systematic review of the literature, which summarizes the most recent knowledge on biofortification of food of plant origin with microelements. This work is a systematic review which presents the various methodologies and compares the results of the applied doses and types of fertilizer formulation with the yield and micronutrient content of edible parts of plants. The PRISMA protocol-based review of the most recent literature data from the last 5 years (2015-2020) concerns enrichment of plants with selenium and iodine. These elements, in contrast to other microelements (zinc, manganese, iron, copper and others) are given to plants most often in anionic form: selenium - SeO₃^2- and SeO₄^2-, iodine - I^- and IO₃^-, making them a separate subgroup of microelements. The review focuses on original research papers (not reviews), collected in 3 popular scientific databases: Scopus, Web of Knowledge, PubMed. This study shows how to effectively cope with hidden hunger taking into account the significance of optimized fertilization. Based on the collected data, the best method of micronutrients administration an integrated fortification strategy for selected trace elements and prospects in research/action development was proposed. It was found that the best way to enrich plants with selenium is foliar fertilization with Se(VI), in increased doses. The effectiveness of fortification is supported by the balanced nutrients fertilization, the presence of microorganisms and selection of plant varieties. Foliar fertilization, in increased doses with iodide (I^-) is in turn an effective way to enrich plants with iodine.

Selenium and Nano-Selenium Biofortification for Human Health: Opportunities and Challenges

Selenium is an essential micronutrient required for the health of humans and lower plants, but its importance for higher plants is still being investigated. The biological functions of Se related to human health revolve around its presence in 25 known selenoproteins (e.g., selenocysteine or the 21st amino acid). Humans may receive their required Se through plant uptake of soil Se, foods enriched in Se, or Se dietary supplements. Selenium nanoparticles (Se-NPs) have been applied to biofortified foods and feeds. Due to low toxicity and high efficiency, Se-NPs are used in applications such as cancer therapy and nano-medicines. Selenium and nano-selenium may be able to support and enhance the productivity of cultivated plants and animals under stressful conditions because they are antimicrobial and anti-carcinogenic agents, with antioxidant capacity and immune-modulatory efficacy. Thus, nano-selenium could be inserted in the feeds of fish and livestock to improvise stress resilience and productivity. This review offers new insights in Se and Se-NPs biofortification for edible plants and farm animals under stressful environments. Further, extensive research on Se-NPs is required to identify possible adverse effects on humans and their cytotoxicity.