Biofortification of baby leafy vegetables using nutrient solution containing selenium

Abstract

BACKGROUND Biofortification of vegetables is an important innovation technique in the horticultural sector. Vegetables can be a vector of different minor elements that have beneficial effects on human health. Selenium (Se) is an important element for human nutrition and plays a significant role in defence mechanisms. The aim of this work was to investigate the effect of Se in the nutrient solutions on the crop biofortification ability, yield, and quality parameters of four baby leafy vegetables destined to the minimally processed industry. Experiments were performed on lamb's lettuce, lettuce, wild rocket, and spinach. These crops were cultivated in the floating systems with nutrient solution enriched with 0, 2.6, 3.9, and 5.2 μmol L−1 Se provided as sodium selenate. RESULTS At harvest, Se concentrations, yield, nitrate concentration, sugars, and some mineral elements were measured. Data collected and analyses showed that yield, nitrate, sucrose, and reducing sugars were not affected by Se treatments, even if varied among species. Se concentrations linearly increased in leaves of different species by increasing the Se concentration in the nutrient solution. Rocket was the species with the highest accumulation ability and reached a concentration of 11 μg g−1 fresh weight Se in plants grown with 5.2 μmol L−1 Se. CONCLUSION A floating system with Se‐enriched nutrient solution is an optimal controlled growing biofortification system for leafy vegetables. The accumulation ability decreased in different species in the order wild rocket, spinach, lettuce, and lamb's lettuce, highlighting a crop‐dependent behaviour and their attitude to biofortification. © 2023 The Authors. Journal of The Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

Hydroponic Production of Selenium-Enriched Baby Leaves of Swiss Chard (Beta vulgaris var. cicla) and Its Wild Ancestor Sea Beet (Beta vulgaris ssp. maritima)

“…This could explain the higher amount of Se accumulated in SB leaves compared to SC. The Se accumulation rate depends on the plant species and variety and the dose of Se used for treatments, as reported by Francini et al [38]. In any case, the leaf Se concentration was lower than the values reported by Castro et al [13] in chard plants treated with 12-20 mg Se L −1 via four foliar applications (about 3.06-4.64 mg kg −1 FW).…”

“…Selenium supplementation has been proven to significantly increase the leaf Se concentration in many leafy vegetables such as chard [13], basil [9,14,37], lettuce [26,38], lamb's lettuce, wild rocket, and spinach [38]. In our experiment, the addition of 1, 3, and 5 mg Se L −1 , as Na2SeO4, produced Se-biofortified baby leaves of both subspecies, especially in sea beet.…”

Biofortification of Plant- and Animal-Based Foods in Limiting the Problem of Microelement Deficiencies—A Narrative Review

“…In recent years, there has been a significant increase in hydroponic cultivation, where a higher level of control over the course of biofortification is possible due to the use of liquid media. Previous research work has achieved effective biofortification in hydroponic cultures of plants such as lettuce [78,79], spinach [80], or wild rocket [81]. The biofortification of microplants has been gaining importance in recent years.…”

Effect of inoculation with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi on the energy metabolism of selenite‐rich amaranth

“…Regular consumption of amaranth has been associated with numerous health benefits, including improving immune function [1]. Nutrient content of edible parts of vegetables can be increased by adding nutrient solutions to the soil, also known as biofortification, which can enhance the nutritional content of food to enhance human nutrition [2].…”