Biofortification with selenium in cereals and legumes

On December 4, the conference on cereals, legumes and new processing alternatives to enhance their functional and nutraceutical properties was held.

The event was organized by the Faculty of Science and Technology, the Ecuadorian Network of Universities and Polytechnic Schools for Research and Postgraduate Studies (REDU - Grupo de Cereales, Oleaginosas y Afines), the University of Sinaloa, the Tecnológico de Monterrey and the Municipal Company of Cuenca Economic Development (EDEC EP).

The guest speaker was Daniela Guardado, PhD in Food Science and Biotechnology, who spoke about biofortification with selenium in cereals and legumes through germination.

According to Guarded, "during the processing of cereals and legumes, many of the nutrients contained in their peel are lost and their anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties are reduced", therefore, the biofortification processes allow to recover the lost phytochemical compounds.

During the conference, Guardado presented research that looked at the effects of selenized chickpea on tumor growth. The study was carried out in mice modified with colon cancer cells and the results showed that a diet rich in selenium can reduce the size of tumors by 40%.

Finally, Guarded added that new research is currently being carried out to compare the differences between treatments with chickpea and selenized corn and treatments with chemotherapy.

UDA Correspondent