Enrichment of Zinc and Iron Micronutrients in Lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.) through Biofortification.

Biofortification of pulse crops with Zn and Fe is a viable approach to combat their widespread deficiencies in humans. Lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.) is a widely consumed edible crop possessing a high level of Zn and Fe micronutrients. Thus, the present study was conducted to examine the influence of foliar application of Zn and Fe on productivity, concentration, uptake and the economics of lentil cultivation (LL 931). For this, different treatment combinations of ZnSO4·7H2O (0.5%) and FeSO4·7H2O (0.5%), along with the recommended dose of fertilizer (RDF), were applied to the lentil. The results of study reported that the combined foliar application of ZnSO4·7H2O (0.5%) + FeSO4·7H2O (0.5%) at pre-flowering (S1) and pod formation (S2) stages was most effective in enhancing grain and straw yield, Zn and Fe concentration, and uptake. However, the outcome of this treatment was statistically on par with the results obtained under the treatment ZnSO4·7H2O (0.5%) + FeSO4·7H2O (0.5%) at S1 stage. A single spray of ZnSO4·7H2O (0.5%) + FeSO4·7H2O (0.5%) at S1 stage enhanced the grain and straw yield up to 39.6% and 51.8%, respectively. Similarly, Zn and Fe concentrations showed enhancement in grain (10.9% and 20.4%, respectively) and straw (27.5% and 27.6% respectively) of the lentil. The increase in Zn and Fe uptake by grain was 54.8% and 68.0%, respectively, whereas uptake by straw was 93.6% and 93.7%, respectively. Also the benefit:cost was the highest (1.96) with application of ZnSO4·7H2O (0.5%) + FeSO4·7H2O (0.5%) at S1 stage. Conclusively, the combined use of ZnSO4·7H2O (0.5%) + FeSO4·7H2O (0.5%) at S1 stage can contribute significantly towards yield, Zn and Fe concentration, as well as uptake and the economic returns of lentil to remediate the Zn and Fe deficiency.

Vitamin A, Iron, and Zinc Content of Fortified Maize Meal and Bread at the Household Level in 4 Areas of South Africa.

BACKGROUND: A national mandatory food fortification program, fortifying wheat flour and maize meal with various micronutrients, was introduced in South Africa in 2003 to address micronutrient deficiencies. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to determine vitamin A, iron, and zinc content of raw maize meal and wheat flour bread sampled at household level from 2 urban and 2 rural areas in South Africa and to compare with the regulatory minimum requirements. METHODS: Maize meal (250 g) and/or supermarket/local shop bread (3 inner slices) were collected from 50 randomly selected households from each study area. Maize meal samples were reduced to 10 composite samples per area. Bread samples were composited similarly; 1 composite sample consisted of 15 intact slices. Overall, 8 composite samples were obtained for both brown and white bread. The Southern African Grain Laboratory analyzed the samples for vitamin A, iron, and zinc. RESULTS: Mean content of maize meal (100 g) represented ratios of 0.56 to 0.98 of the minimum fortification requirement for vitamin A, 0.76 to 1.08 for iron, and 0.89 to 1.00 for zinc; brown bread (100 g) represented ratios of 0.57, 1.97, and 1.67 of the minimum requirement for vitamin A, iron, and zinc, respectively, and white bread (100 g) represented ratios of 0.89, 2.22, and 2.07 for vitamin A, iron, and zinc, respectively. CONCLUSION: The variation in vitamin A, iron, and zinc content in maize meal and the higher than required iron and zinc content in wheat bread needs to be investigated in further studies.

A novel deodorization method of edible oil by using ethanol steam at low temperature.

A novel deodorization method of edible oil by using ethanol steam at low-temperature was developed. We compared the chemical changes in predeodorized rapeseed oil after anhydrous ethanol steam distillation at low temperature (140 to 220 °C) (L-ESD) and conventional high-temperature (250 °C) water-steam distillation (H-WSD) in terms of odor characteristics, physicochemical properties, micronutrient contents, antioxidant performance, and fatty acid composition. Compared with H-WSD (250 °C for 60 min), L-ESD at 180 °C for 80 to 100 min resulted in lower response values of electronic nose, free fatty acid (0.03% to 0.07%), and peroxide value (0.00 to 0.67 meq/kg), but higher retention of tocopherols (554.93 to 551.59 mg/kg), total phenols (43.36 to 45.42 mgGAE/kg), total carotenoids (65.78 to 67.85 mg/kg), phytosterols (585.80 to 596.53 mg/100 g), polyunsaturated fatty acids (27.95 to 28.01%), and better antioxidant properties. In conclusion, L-ESD can mitigate the damage of oil and thus significantly improve the safety of vegetable oils with a high retention of nutrients compared with conventional H-WSD. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: The present study aimed to compare the chemical changes in predeodorized rapeseed oil after anhydrous ethanol steam distillation at low temperature (140 to 220 °C) (L-ESD) and conventional high-temperature (250 °C) water-steam distillation (H-WSD) in terms of odor characteristics, physicochemical properties, micronutrient contents, antioxidant performance, and fatty acid composition. Results indicated that this finding supplies a theoretical basis for developing a method with retaining more micronutrients and producing less harmful substances for the deodorization of rapeseed oil.

Preparation of high-quality concentrated fragrance flaxseed oil by steam explosion pretreatment technology.

In this study, flaxseed was pretreated by steam explosion technology and subsequently pressed to prepare flaxseed oil. GC, UPLC, HPLC, and GC-MS techniques were used to analyze the quality characteristics of the prepared flaxseed oil. These included the food safety risk indices, micronutrient components, and oxidative stability. The effects of different steam explosion pressures on the quality characteristics and relative volatile components of flaxseed oil were also investigated. The results revealed that steam explosion pretreatment technology could significantly increase the oil yield, improve micronutrient content, and strengthen the oxidation stability of the product. Moreover, the food safety risk indices (e.g., benzopyrene) were controlled within a reasonable range, while the fatty acid content remained almost unchanged. Notably, the relative pyrazine content in the total volatile components of flaxseed oil was 68.25% when the steam explosion pressure reached 1.2 MPa. This was considered as the main factor that contributed to the unique concentrated fragrance of the produced flaxseed oil. To prove the superiority of the steam explosion pretreatment, we compared this technique with traditional high-temperature roasting and popular microwave pretreatment techniques. The results revealed that flaxseed oil prepared by steam explosion pretreatment displayed the best quality characteristics and most concentrated fragrance. Thus, steam explosion technology shows great potential for application to produce high-quality concentrated fragrance flaxseed oil. This study provides significant reference and guidance for the preparation process of flaxseed oil.

Genomics, genetics and breeding of common bean in Africa: A review of tropical legume project.

Common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is an important legume crop worldwide. The International Centre for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) and its national partners in Africa aim to overcome production constraints of common bean and address the food, nutrition needs and market demands through development of multitrait bean varieties. Breeding is guided by principles of market-driven approaches to develop client-demanded varieties. Germplasm accessions from especially two sister species, P. coccineus and P. acutifolius, have been utilized as sources of resistance to major production constraints and interspecific lines deployed. Elucidation of plant mechanisms governing pest and disease resistance, abiotic stress tolerance and grain nutritional quality guides the selection methods used by the breeders. Molecular markers are used to select for resistance to key diseases and insect pests. Efforts have been made to utilize modern genomic tools to increase scale, efficiency, accuracy and speed of breeding. Through gender-responsive participatory variety selection, market-demanded varieties have been released in several African countries. These new bean varieties are a key component of sustainable food systems in the tropics.

Preliminary Studies to Characterize the Temporal Variation of Micronutrient Composition of the Above Ground Organs of Maize and Correlated Uptake Rates.

The improvement of agronomic practices and the use of high technology in field crops contributes for significant increases in maize productivity, and may have altered the dynamics of nutrient uptake and partition by the plant. Official recommendations for fertilizer applications to the maize crop in Brazil and in many countries are based on critical soil nutrient contents and are relatively outdated. Since the factors that interact in an agricultural production system are dynamic, mathematical modeling of the growth process turns out to be an appropriate tool for these studies. Agricultural modeling can expand our knowledge about the interactions prevailing in the soil-plant-atmosphere system. The objective of this study is to propose a methodology for characterizing the micronutrient composition of different organs and their extraction, and export during maize crop development, based on modeling nutrient uptake, crop potential evapotranspiration and micronutrient partitioning in the plant, considering the production environment. This preliminary characterization study (experimental growth analysis) considers the temporal variation of the micronutrient uptake rate in the aboveground organs, which defines crop needs and the critical nutrient content of the soil solution. The methodology allowed verifying that, initially, the highest fraction of dry matter, among aboveground organs, was assigned to the leaves. After the R1 growth stage, the largest part of dry matter was partitioned to the stalk, which in this growth stage is the main storage organ of the maize plant. During the reproductive phase, the highest fraction of dry matter was conferred to the reproductive organs, due to the high demand for carbohydrates for grain filling. The micronutrient (B, Cu, Fe, Mn, and Zn) content follows a power model, with higher values for the initial growth stages of development and leveling off to minimum values at the R6 growth stage. The proposed model allows to verify that fertilizer recommendations should be related to the temporal variability of micronutrient absorption rates, in contrast to the classic recommendation based on the critical soil micronutrient content. The maximum micronutrient absorption rates occur between the reproductive R4 and R5 growth stages. These evaluations allowed to predict the maximum micronutrient requirements, considered equal to respective stalk sap concentrations.