Analyzing Uptake of Micro-Nutrients by Micro-Greens from Novel Mineral-Fortified Fiber Mats: Case of Copper

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine if food crops could be bio-fortified with micro-nutrients by growing micro-greens on mineral fortified fiber mats. INTRODUCTION Adequate micro-nutrients are essential to human development and overall health [1].The oxidative properties of copper (Cu) are thought to enhance the inflammatory response thereby having a role in coronary vascular disease, metabolic syndrome, diabetes and related complications. Importantly, existing data shows that while Cu deficiency was rare in the past, micro-nutrient malnutrition affects a staggering half of the world’s population and trends such as a Westernized diet and popularity of gastric bypass surgery are correlated to impaired Cu status. CONCLUSIONS Nutrient analysis showed ~2 times increase in copper micro-element of the alfalfa sprouts grown on the cellulose-based fiber mats with copper nanoparticles, and ~4 times increase on mats with ionic copper as compared to the control samples. The uptake, bio-fortification and risks of nano-materials and ions are not well understood but the use of engineered mats might be a viable way to increase the micro-nutrient composition of locally-grown food crops.