Mineral Composition and Bioaccessibility in Rocket and Purslane after Zn Biofortification Process

Abstract

Zinc (Zn) is an essential key nutrient in different biochemical and physiological processes. The nutritional deficit of this mineral element is estimated to affect the health of over 3 billion people worldwide. Several strategies are available to reduce the negative impact of mineral malnutrition; among them, biofortification is the practice of deliberately increasing the nutrients and healthy compounds in the edible parts of vegetables. This study aims to evaluate Zn bioaccessibility in biofortified and non-biofortified rocket and purslane using an in vitro gastrointestinal digestion process and measure the concentration of other mineral elements (Al, B, Ca, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, and Sr) released during the digestion process from rocket and purslane biofortified with Zn. The bioaccessible Zn in biofortified rocket and purslane ranged from 7.43 to 16.91 mg/kg, respectively. In addition, the daily intake, the RDA coverage (%), and the hazard quotient (HQ) for the intake of Zn (resulting from the consumption of 100 g of rocket and purslane) were calculated. The calculated HQ highlights the safety of these baby leaf vegetables. The study confirms that it is possible to obtain Zn-biofortified rocket and purslane with high Zn bioaccessibility by adopting an appropriate mineral plant nutrition solution enriched in Zn.

Soilless biofortification, bioaccessibility, and bioavailability: Signposts on the path to personalized nutrition

“…The release of nutrients (the bioaccessible fraction) in the intestinal tract during the digestive process of plant materials depends on a variety of factors, such as the species and the type of plant materials, the localization of the nutrient, and it is affected by a host of variables such as the concentrations of other nutrients and/or anti-nutritional compounds, the cooking method used, if and how the food has been processed, and the interaction of other nutrients. The concentration of the nutrient in the edible parts is important, but even the biofortification process can modify the release of nutrients, as has been reported by a number of studies regarding different mineral elements ( 12 , 21 , 47 , 51 , 52 , 76 ).…”

“…The gastrointestinal digestion model has been used to identify the biofortified species or treatments (agronomic and/or food processing) that are able to release high quantities of silicon ( 12 ), Ca ( 52 ), zinc ( 76 , 77 ), selenium ( 78 ), iodine ( 79 ), iron ( 80 ) in the intestinal tract. Thus, bioaccessibility assessment methodologies can be used to select the species, cultivars and/or genotypes that are able to release high quantities of nutrients during the digestion process in order to maximize the health effects of the biofortification process.…”

“…Bioavailability and bioaccessibility assessment provides nutritional and biological information regarding biofortified products generally not furnished by agronomic biofortification studies. In addition, it can be used to improve the development of biofortified foods with regard to the choice of the species or of the type of food processing to use to produce plant foods that satisfy consumer needs ( 76 , 80 , 86 , 88 ).…”

Dietary intervention in depression – a review

“…71 Zinc is critical in the maintenance of human health, participating in the synthesis and transmission of neurotransmitters and regulating the immune system activity. 72,73 The intake of zinc may have a negative correlation with depression. 74 Zinc alleviated the depression-like behavior of rats induced by lipo-…”

Nutraceuticals and Functional Foods: Is It Possible and Sustainable for Bridging Health and Food?

“…This fruit is interesting, since it has also antimicrobial activity, as confirmed in the reported study against multidrug-resistant microorganisms, Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae strains, isolated from poultry. D’Imperio et al [ 5 ] studied the biofortification process of rocket and purslane with Zn. A bioaccessibility study of this nutrient using an in vitro gastrointestinal digestion process confirmed that it is possible to obtain a high content of Zn biofortified rocket and purslane by adopting an appropriate mineral plant nutrition solution enriched with this nutrient.…”