Lentils (Lens culinaris Medikus Subspecies culinaris): A Whole Food for Increased Iron and Zinc Intake

Abstract

Micronutrient malnutrition, the hidden hunger, affects more than 40% of the world's population, and a majority of them are in South and South East Asia and Africa. This study was carried out to determine the potential for iron (Fe) and zinc (Zn) biofortification of lentils ( Lens culinaris Medikus subsp. culinaris ) to improve human nutrition. Lentils are a common and quick-cooking nutritious staple pulse in many developing countries. We analyzed the total Fe and Zn concentrations of 19 lentil genotypes grown at eight locations for 2 years in Saskatchewan, Canada. It was observed that some genetic variation exists for Fe and Zn concentrations among the lentil lines tested. The total Fe and Zn concentrations ranged from 73 to 90 mg of Fe kg(-1) and from 44 to 54 mg of Zn kg(-1). The calculated percentages of the recommended daily allowance (RDA) for Fe and Zn were within the RDA ranges from a 100 g serving of dry lentils. Broad-sense heritability estimates for Fe and Zn concentrations in lentil seed were 64 and 68%, respectively. It was concluded that lentils have great potential as a whole food source of Fe and Zn for people affected by these nutrient deficiencies. This is the first report on the genetic basis for Fe and Zn micronutrient content in lentils. These results provide some understanding of the genetic basis of Fe and Zn concentrations and will allow for the development of potential strategies for genetic biofortification.

Progress update: Crop development of biofortified staple food crops under HarvestPlus

“…Screening of more than 1,600 lentil accessions, including breeding lines, landraces and wild relatives, found that mineral content ranged from 23 to 95 ppm for zinc, and 42 to 132 ppm for iron [118,119,120,121,122].…”

“…Mineral accumulation of zinc and iron in lentil seeds is influenced by environmental factors such as temperature, soil type, and fertility status [119,121,125,126,127]. Multi-location GxE testing is used to identify advanced lines and varieties with stable highmineral content across different environments and crop seasons.…”

Legume Crops Phylogeny and Genetic Diversity for Science and Breeding

“…Lentils are combined with the carbohydrate staples rice and wheat, forming a complete protein diet . Lentil has the potential to reduce micronutrient (iron and zinc) deficiency though the consumption of 100 g daily (Thavarajah et al, 2009). Additionally, lentil is a promising source of antioxidant phenolics and could serve as a dietary supplement (Zou et al, 2011).…”

Phytic acid and mineral micronutrients in field-grown chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) cultivars from western Canada

“…Variation in seed nutrition may be due to genotype, market class (seed size, color), and the growing environment and may also be enhanced by premarket processing such as size sorting, dehulling, or splitting [5,6], or milling [7,8]. SigniWcant genetic variation in Fe and Zn concentrations with low concentrations of phytic acid (PA) is being reported in various crops, including pulses [3,4,6,9].…”