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The potential of lentil (Lens culinaris L.) as a whole food for increased selenium, iron, and zinc intake: preliminary results from a 3 year study

Euphytica volume 180, pages 123–128 (2011)Cite this article

Abstract

Micronutrient malnutrition, especially selenium (Se), iron (Fe), and zinc (Zn) deficiency, is a major global health problem. Previous attempts to prevent micronutrient malnutrition through food fortification, supplementation, and enrichment of staple crops has had limited success. Canadian grown lentils are rich in micronutrients Fe (73–90 mg kg−1), Zn (44–54 mg kg−1), Se (425–673 μg kg−1), and have very low concentrations of phytic acid (2.5–4.4 mg g−1). Our preliminary studies using a Caco-2 cell model show that the uptake of Fe from lentils is relatively greater than that of most other staple food crops. Moreover, preliminary results from our human nutrition study in Sri Lanka show an increased trend in blood Se concentration after lentil consumption. This article briefly overviews our previously published results as well as data from international lentil field trials, and describes the potential for biofortified lentil to provide a whole food solution to combat global human micronutrient malnutrition.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the Pulse Biofortification research team (Chai-Thiam See, Barry Goetz, Kevin Andal, and Andrew Arndt) at the CDC for technical assistance and Dr. Kofi Agblor for reviewing the manuscript. Support for this research was provided by the Saskatchewan Pulse Growers, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan and the Agriculture Development Fund, Ministry of Agriculture, Saskatchewan, Canada.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Cereal and Food Sciences, School of Food Systems, North Dakota State University, Dept. 7640, 223 Harris Hall, P. O. Box 6050, Fargo, ND, 58108-6050, USA

    Dil Thavarajah

  2. Crop Development Centre, College of Agriculture and Bioresources, University of Saskatchewan, 51 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5A8, Canada

    Pushparajah Thavarajah & Albert Vandenberg

  3. Lady Ridgeway Children Hospital, Colombo 08, Sri Lanka

    Asoka Wejesuriya

  4. Robert W. Holley Center for Agriculture and Health, Agricultural Research Service, US Department of Agriculture, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA

    Michael Rutzke & Raymond P. Glahn

  5. Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research Centre, ARS/USDA, 2420 2nd Ave N, STOP 9034, Grand Forks, ND, 58202-9034, USA

    Gerald F. Combs Jr.

Authors
  1. Dil Thavarajah
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  2. Pushparajah Thavarajah
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  3. Asoka Wejesuriya
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  4. Michael Rutzke
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  5. Raymond P. Glahn
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  6. Gerald F. Combs Jr.
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  7. Albert Vandenberg
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Correspondence to Dil Thavarajah.

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Thavarajah, D., Thavarajah, P., Wejesuriya, A. et al. The potential of lentil (Lens culinaris L.) as a whole food for increased selenium, iron, and zinc intake: preliminary results from a 3 year study. Euphytica 180, 123–128 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10681-011-0365-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10681-011-0365-6

Keywords

  • Lentils
  • Biofortification
  • Iron
  • Zinc
  • Selenium
  • Phytic acid