The foods enrichment with essential elements is an alternative to supply deficiencies of micronutrients and the fortification by rich cultivation is a promising strategy for the elemental enrichment of agricultural origin products, mainly in regions where there is high prevalence. On the other hand, in elemental enrichment procedures, possible antagonistic and / or synergistic relationships in the absorption and translocation of essential elements in agricultural products should be evaluated. Additionally, it is important to highlight the need to know the elements species capable of being absorbed and used in the metabolism of edible plants and mushrooms as well as the species formed after enrichment, being necessary to evaluate mainly if enriched foods present the same chemical characteristics, when compared to those grown under natural conditions. Therefore, in this review, works from the literature are presented involving promising strategies for elemental enrichment of edible plants and mushrooms grown in an appropriate medium, prioritizing the chemical characterization of the enriched food. Cultivation enrichment procedures are an excellent and promising alternative to help reduce elemental deficiencies as well as to maintain the recommended daily intake of these essential micronutrients for human nutrition and health.

Iron (Fe) is an essential element for human nutrition, and its deficiency or low hemoglobin levels are a global health issue. Strategies aimed at increasing the amounts of essential elementals in agricultural products, as sprouts of adzuki bean (Vigna angularis), can be a way to minimize deficiencies, mainly in the populations of developing countries. Therefore, in this work was evaluated: production of Fe-enriched adzuki bean sprouts; Fe accumulation and translocation in plants in different culture media enriched with different Fe masses (500, 1000, 2000, and 3000 µg); and effects of the enrichment by means of 3000 µg FeIII-ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (FeIII-EDTA): on the distribution of Ca, Cu, Fe, K, P, Mg, S, and Zn in different parts of the plant; on protein concentrations (albumins, globulins, prolamins, and glutelins) and their association with Fe in edible parts of the plant (stems); and on Fe bioaccessibility in the edible part of the plant (stems). The enrichment via FeIII-EDTA favored the translocation and increased Fe content of sprouts (75%), besides promoting interactions of Fe with albumins (141%), globulins (180%), and glutelins (93%). In the bioaccessibility assays, Fe was 83% bioaccessible in Fe-enriched sprouts.

Beans are considered a source of iron (Fe), and hence have considerable contribution in cases of Fe deficiency. Beans also contain certain anti-nutritional constituents, which are imperative to the cooking of beans. The nutritional value of beans depends on the bioavailability, which can be affected by cooking. Studies about heating effects in distribution of Fe-based inorganic species are limited, especially for bean cultivars commonly consumed in Brazil. The aim of this work was to evaluate the effects of domestic cooking on the distribution of Fe species (water soluble and inorganic) in seven varieties of Phaseolus beans. Fractionation procedures were used to separate Fe associated to various species. The Fe content was quantified by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GF AAS). In raw beans, the inorganic Fe species significantly contributes to the water soluble fraction obtained after fractionation. Cooking lowered the concentration of water soluble Fe in majority varieties of beans.