Temporal Change in Iron Content of Vegetables and Legumes in Australia: A Scoping Review

The impact of the application of compochar on soil moisture, stress, yield and nutritional properties of legumes under drought stress

Nowadays, when climate change is becoming more and more evident, drought stress plays a very important role, including in agriculture. The increasing number of years with extreme temperatures in the Czech Republic has a negative impact on agricultural production, among other things. Therefore, ways are being sought to reduce these negative impacts. One of them may be the use of compochar (a mixture of compost and biochar) to improve water retention in the soil. The effect of compochar addition on soil properties and crop yield was tested under conditions simulating severe drought stress (greenhouse experiments) compared to normal conditions (field experiments). The aim was to find the most suitable ratio of compochar addition that would reduce the negative effects of drought stress on the yield and quality of peas and beans. Tested soil was only able to retain water between 0.03 and 0.18 cm3/cm3, while the compochar itself retained between 0.12 and 0.32 cm3 cm-3. Three substrate variants were tested by varying the amount of compochar (10, 30 and 50 % v/v) in the soil, and all three substrates showed a similar water content between 0.03 and 0.21 cm3 cm-3 depending on the planted crop and week of cultivation. No apparent stress was observed in crops planted in 100 % compochar. Nevertheless, in general, the trend of chlorophyll a/b ratio increased with increasing amounts of compochar in the soil, indicating stress. Yield increased by approximately 50 % for both test crops when 30 % compochar was used as substrate. The flavonoid content in beans was between 410 and 500 μg CE g-1 DW and in peas was approximately 300 μg CE g-1 DW. The results showed that the utilization of compochar had no effect on either total phenol content, flavonoid content or antioxidant capacity. The combination of compochar with soil (30 %) was found to positively affect the (i) soil moisture, (ii) crop yield, and (iii) nutritional properties of peas and beans and (iv) the ability of plants to withstand drought stress.

Iron Content of Wheat and Rice in Australia: A Scoping Review

With a shift towards plant-based diets for human and planetary health, monitoring the mineral content of staple crops is important to ensure population nutrient requirements can be met. This review aimed to explore changes in the iron content of unprocessed wheat and rice in Australia over time. A comprehensive systematic search of four electronic databases and the gray literature was conducted. A total of 25 papers published between 1930 and 2023 that measured the iron content of unprocessed wheat and rice were included. Triticum aestivum was the most common wheat type studied, including 26 cultivars; iron content ranged from 40 to 50 µg/g in the 1930s and 1970s and was more variable after this time due to the introduction of modern cultivars, with most values between 25 and 45 µg/g. The iron content of rice (Oryza sativa) was more consistent at 10-15 µg/g between the 1980s and 2020s. Variations over the years may be attributed to environmental, biological, and methodological factors but these were not well documented across all studies, limiting the interpretation of findings. As the number of individuals following plant-based diets continues to rise, the ongoing monitoring of the mineral content in commonly consumed plant-based foods is warranted.

Vegetables with Enhanced Iron Bioavailability-German Consumers' Perceptions of a New Approach to Improve Dietary Iron Supply

Iron deficiency is still widespread as a major health problem even in countries with adequate food supply. It mainly affects women but also vegans, vegetarians, and athletes and can lead to various clinical pictures. Biofortification of vitamin C-rich vegetables with iron may be one new approach to face this nutritional challenge. However, so far, little is known about the consumer acceptance of iron-biofortified vegetables, particularly in developed countries. To address this issue, a quantitative survey of 1000 consumers in Germany was conducted. The results showed that depending on the type of vegetable, between 54% and 79% of the respondents were interested in iron-biofortified vegetables. Regression analysis showed a relationship between product acceptance, gender, and area of residence. In addition, relationships were found between consumer preferences for enjoyment, sustainability, and naturalness. Compared to functional food and dietary supplements, 77% of respondents would prefer fresh iron-rich vegetables to improve their iron intake. For a market launch, those iron-rich vegetables appear especially promising, which can additionally be advertised with claims for being rich in vitamin C and cultivated in an environmentally friendly way. Consumers were willing to pay EUR 0.10 to EUR 0.20 more for the iron-biofortified vegetables.

Investigation into the Physicochemical and Textural Properties of an Iron-Rich 3D-Printed Hybrid Food

In the context of dietary transition, blending animal-source protein with plant-source protein offers a promising way to exploit their nutritional complementarity. This study investigates the feasibility of formulating an iron-rich hybrid food product blending plant-source and animal-source protein ingredients for iron-deficient populations. Using a commercial 3D-food printer, two different-shaped products composed mainly of pork and chicken liver and red lentils were designed. After baking at 180 °C with 70% steam, the 3D-printed products were packed under two different modified atmospheres (MAP): O₂-MAP (70% oxygen + 30% carbon dioxide) and N₂-MAP (70% nitrogen + 30% carbon dioxide) and stored at 4 °C. pH, water content, a_w, lipid oxidation, heme iron and non-heme iron contents and textural properties were measured after 0, 7, 14 and 21 days in storage. After 21 days in storage, the 3D-printed hybrid products had an iron content of around 13 mg/100 g, regardless of the product form and packaging method. However, O₂-MAP products showed significant (p < 0.05) time-course changes from day 0 to day 7, i.e., an increase in lipid oxidation, a decrease in heme iron content and an increase in product hardness, gumminess and chewiness. This work opens prospects for developing hybrid food products that upvalue animal by-products.

Dietary trends and the decline in male reproductive health

Over the twentieth century, male reproductive health has suffered a substantial decline, as evidenced by decreases in sperm counts and testosterone levels and increases in reproductive pathologies. At the same time, the prevalence of chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome has risen dramatically. Metabolic and reproductive health are highly interconnected, suggesting that their respective trends are intertwined and, given the timeframe of such trends, environmental and not genetic factors are most likely to be the primary causes. Industrialization, which began in Europe in the mid-eighteenth century, has resulted in profound changes to our diet, lifestyle, and environment, many of which are causal factors in the rise in chronic diseases. Industrialization results in a nutrition transition from an agricultural unprocessed to a modern processed diet, incorporating increases in sugar, vegetable oils, ultra-processed foods, linoleic acid, trans-fats, and total energy. This dietary shift has incurred numerous adverse effects on metabolic and reproductive health, characterized by chronic inflammation, oxidative stress, and insulin resistance. Moreover, these effects appear to multiply across subsequent generations via epigenetic inheritance. Men's fertility is markedly affected by obesity and diabetes, with an increase in total energy via processed food intake arguably being the key factor driving the diabesity pandemic. In contrast, wholefoods rich in micronutrients and phytonutrients support male fertility and a healthy body weight. Therefore, men wanting to maximize their fertility should consider making positive dietary changes, such as replacing processed foods with unprocessed foods that support metabolic and reproductive health.

Elemental Profiles of Legumes and Seeds in View of Chemometric Approach

The study aimed to evaluate fourteen elements’ profiles of legumes and oilseeds, of various geographical origins, available on the Polish market. They were determined by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (F-AAS) and spectrophotometric method (phosphorus) in 90 analytical samples. In general, legumes were characterized with lower mean concentrations of Ca, Mg, Na, P, Zn, Cu, Fe, Mn, and Cr than oilseeds. However, the concentrations ranges within each group differed significantly (p < 0.05). Calcium content varied between 6.2 and 243.5 mg/100 g in legumes and 38.4 and 2003 mg/100 g in oilseeds. In the case of Fe, its concentration was between 1.99 mg/100 g and 10.5 mg/100 g in legumes, and 2.05 mg and 12.15 mg/100 g in seeds. All the samples were characterized with Pb concentration below the LOQ (30 µg/100 g). In the case of Cd, its presence (>LOQ, 9 µg/100 g) was confirmed in one sample of legumes (soybean) and five samples of seeds (poppy seeds, roasted linseeds, hulled wheat, linseed, and sunflower seeds). The detected Cd content in every sample, except for soybean and hulled wheat, exceeded the permissible European standards. According to Kruskal-Wallis test results, Mg, Na, K, P, Zn, Cu, Mn, Cr, and Cd content depended on the type of the analyzed product, while in the case of botanical provenance such relationship was recorded for most of the analyzed components, except for Fe, Cr, and Co. Factor and cluster analyses classified the analyzed samples in view of their botanical species and type based on their mineral composition.