TRACE ELEMENTS IN MEDICINE (MOSCOW)
2015. 16(3): 12-19
TOPICAL PAPERS

PROSPECTS OF AGRICULTURAL PLANTS BIOFORTIFICATION WITH IODINE AND SELENIUM (REVIEW)

N.A. Golubkina, H.G. Kekina, S.M. Nadegkin

Agrochemical research center, All-Russian Institute of vegetable breeding and seeds production; Moscow region 143080, Russia; E-mail: segolubkina@rambler.ru

DOI: 10.19112/2413-6174-2015-16-3-12-19 

ABSTRACT: Frequency of iodine and selenium deficiency among the population of the world indicates the necessity of the development of effective methods for iodine and selenium status correction. A well-known interaction between selenium and iodine metabolism in organism of animals and human beings indicates great prospects in simultaneous iodine and selenium status optimization. In this respect plants situated at the beginning of food chain: soils-plants-animals-human beings, seem to be the most important object for correction of iodine- selenium deficiency. Extremely low information about the effect of selenium + iodine fortification of agricultural crops on growth, development and biochemical characteristics of plants is a significant obstacle in production of functional food products with elevated levels of the elements. Iodine and selenium are not considered to be essential for plants and their utilization in crop production is limited to a narrow concentration range, excluding toxicity effects that is an additional problem in the development of technology of joint selenium + iodine fortification of plants. The review discusses methods of dual selenium/iodine biofortification as the most prospective way of the problem decision, describes the main results of separate and dual Se/I biofortification of different agricultural crops. Questions on the effect of biofortification on biochemical parameters, content of biologically active compounds, nitrates and antioxidant activity of plants are indicated. Data on the stability of the main selenium chemical forms in gastrointestinal tract are shown. Problems of dual I/Se biofortification of agricultural crops are demonstrated.

KEYWORDS: selenium, iodine, microelementoses, biofortification.