Abstract
Selenium (Se) is an important micronutrient which is essential for most living organisms and occurs in both organic and inorganic forms in the water system, soils, biomass, and the atmosphere. In addition to being essential for humans and animals, Se is beneficial for plants and is mostly involved in antioxidant activity/response, as well as a growth promoter. Se deficiency in the diet is a global problem, and Se levels in soils generally reflect its presence in food and, thus, availability to humans. Se participates in the antioxidant response mechanisms of the organism, heavy-metal detoxification, and regulation of the reproductive and immune system, as well as ensures the proper function of the thyroid gland. Plants are the main dietary source of Se for humans. Biofortification is a key strategy to increase Se in edible parts of plants. Agronomic biofortification provides an effective route to increase Se content in edible crop products via application of Se-enriched fertilizers to soil or by foliar application. The most common cereals in the human diet are wheat, rice, maize, and barley, making them the most suitable targets for agronomic biofortification. This review focuses on summarizing the most efficient form and method of Se application via agronomic biofortification corroborated by a meta-analysis of the literature reports. In the assessed literature, foliar application showed better results compared to application in soil. The selenate form appears to be the more efficient form of Se for biofortification than selenite in the most common cereals in human diet: wheat, rice, maize, and barley.
Highlights
Selenium (Se) is a nonmetal with atomic number 34 in group 16 [1]
Over one billion people have an Se deficiency, which leads to various disorders in human health
The necessity of a functioning immune system has been emphasized. Connecting these facts, we conclude that selenium agronomic biofortification should be done on the most widely used foodstuff to reduce Se malnutrition
Summary
Selenium (Se) is a nonmetal with atomic number 34 in group 16 [1]. The Se atom is slightly larger than sulfur (S) (the radius of Se2+ is 0.5 Å whereas the radius of S2+ is 0.37 Å), and, like S, Se can exist in five valence states, selenide (2− ), elemental Se (0), thioselenate (2+ ), selenite (4+ ), and selenate (6+ ) [2,3]. Cereal grains are grown and consumed by humans in higher quantities than any other crop and provide most of the food energy consumed worldwide [15], representing the most significant plant candidates suitable for biofortification with additional possible positive effects on plant yield [16], differences in nutritional profiles and selenium content between wheat species were not observed [17]. In the context of the Se biofortification complexity and differences in the methodology found in literature survey, the aim of this study was to review the present knowledge on the basis of studies dealing with Se agronomic biofortification as the most feasible way of increasing the Se content in the food, as well as to identify the best practices for accomplishing efficient Se biofortification The former aim was supported by a metaanalysis of the data found in different research reports by using a linear mixed modeling approach. The methodology found in the research articles addressing Se biofortification was not harmonized and uniform
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