Iodine Biofortification Counters Micronutrient Deficiency and Improve Functional Quality of Open Field Grown Curly Endive

Abstract

Human iodine (I) shortage disorders are documented as an imperative world-wide health issue for a great number of people. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends I consumption through ingestion of seafood and biofortified food such as vegetables. The current work was carried out to appraise the effects of different I concentrations (0, 50, 250, and 500 mg L−1), supplied via foliar spray on curly endive grown in the fall or spring–summer season. Head fresh weight, stem diameter, head height, and soluble solid content (SSC) were negatively correlated to I dosage. The highest head dry matter content was recorded in plants supplied with 250 mg I L−1, both in the fall and spring–summer season, and in those cultivated in the fall season and supplied with 50 mg I L−1. The highest ascorbic acid concentration was recorded in plants cultivated in the spring–summer season and biofortified with the highest I dosage. The highest fructose and glucose concentrations in leaf tissues were obtained in plants cultivated in the spring–summer season and treated with 250 mg I L−1. Plants sprayed with 250 mg I L−1 and cultivated in the fall season had the highest I leaf concentration. Overall, our results evidently suggested that an I application of 250 mg L−1 in both growing seasons effectively enhanced plant quality and functional parameters in curly endive plants.

Biofortification: Effect of Iodine Fortified Food in the Healthy Population, Double-Arm Nutritional Study

“…With regard to I determination, the I content in leaf tissues and urine samples was assessed via inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The crop was cultivated following the work of Sabatino et al ( 14 ).…”

“…Furthermore, since trace elements might be indispensable for humans, but beneficial for plants at mild dosages, a number of studies were conducted to find adequate methods of application and optimal dose in vegetable crops ( 7 – 14 ).…”

“…In 2007, the World Health Organization (WHO) proposed a different way to increase I intake via the consumption of seafood and biofortified food, such as fruiting and leafy green vegetables. In this respect, several studies aimed to I-enrichment in various fruiting and leafy vegetable crops, such as lettuce, spinach, and tomato ( 5 , 14 – 18 ). In particular, for I ingestion, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA NDA Panel, 2014) suggested a daily dosage of 90–120 μg for kids, 150 μg for adult men or women, and 290 μg for prenatal or lactating women ( 19 ).…”

Impact of Ecklonia maxima Seaweed Extract and Mo Foliar Treatments on Biofortification, Spinach Yield, Quality and NUE

“…This is motivated by the increasing attention of consumers to vegetables containing high amounts of nutritional and biofunctional compounds. Furthermore, the enrichment of vegetables with micronutrients (agronomic biofortification) is an essential tool to overcome mineral malnourishment in humans [18][19][20]. Molybdenum (Mo) is a valuable and indispensable trace element to avoid disorders related to the simple deficiency of sulphite oxidase [21,22].…”

On the Role of Iodine in Plants: A Commentary on Benefits of This Element

“…The importance of I in plants has not yet been fully explained, but application of I – in plant species has provided greater accumulation of the element in edible parts of lettuce ( Lactuca sativa ), spinach ( Spinacia oleracea ), and curly endive ( Cichorium endivia L. var. crispum Hegi) ( Zhu et al, 2003 ; Weng et al, 2008a ; Blasco et al, 2013 ; Smoleń et al, 2016 ; Sabatino et al, 2021 ), as well as rice ( Oryza sativa ), wheat ( Triticum aestivum ), and maize ( Zea mays ) ( Cakmak et al, 2017 ), because this process of biofortification is an affordable way to avoid I deficiency in human populations ( Blasco et al, 2008 , 2013 ; Prom-u-thai et al, 2020 ), especially when I is applied as potassium iodate (KIO 3 ) ( Cakmak et al, 2017 ). Plants, algae, and phytoplankton are also capable of volatilizing I in the form of iodomethane (also known as methyl iodide, CH 3 I), and this reaction is catalyzed by enzymes with methyltransferase activity dependent on S-adenosyl-L-methionine ( Itoh et al, 2009 ).…”