Elemental enrichment: essentiality and toxicity

Abstract

Enrichment food into essential components is one way of suffering from micronutrient deficiency. Therefore, a promising strategy is a fortified fertilization of agricultural soil. However, enrichment by means of appropriate cultivation must be seen beyond the need to supply nutritional deficiencies, since it can also be applied to solve environmental problems, aiming to decrease the toxicity by heavy metals in foods. In both studies it is necessary to evaluate the interactions between the different elements during absorption and translocation. In addition, it is essential to highlight the need to know the elemental species capable of being absorbed and used by mushrooms in their metabolism, as well as species formed after enrichment, and it is necessary to evaluate if these fortified foods have the same chemical characteristics of those formed when the food is grown under natural soil conditions and free of toxic metals. Therefore, the objective of this project is to evaluate elemental competition in enrichment procedures, aiming at nutritional improvement and minimization / elimination of toxicity by toxic elements. Enrichment of shimeji mushrooms (Pleurotus ostreatus) and salmon (Pleurotus djamor) with Se, and the protective characteristics of this element in the toxicity of toxic elements (Hg and Pb) will be evaluated. The effects of the enrichment and remediation will be verified determining the concentration of: 1) essential and toxic elements; 2) proteins (albumins, globulins, prolamins and glutelins); 3) metalloproteins and seleno-proteins; 4) Se species after cloud point extraction procedures; and 5) Hg species by derivatization reactions. Furthermore, bioaccessibility studies will also be executed in the control, enriched and remedied mushrooms. (AU)