Iodine Fortification of Edible Legume Sprouts: A Pilot Biofortification Study

Iodine has an essential role in the human body; however, its insufficiency is still a challenge. Therefore, the search for new strategies to increase iodine intake in the daily diet is fully justified, with sprouts as a preferred and interesting candidates for biofortification. The aim of this pilot study was to investigate the effect of different methods of iodine enrichment of legume sprouts (yellow lupine, lentil, red and white clover, and common vetch) as well as to identify the most promising species for iodine bioaccumulation. The iodine content in mineralized sprout extracts was determined using the Sandell-Kolthoff method. Watering seeds, previously soaked in water (1 day), with a 6.5 mg/L potassium iodide solution (7 days) revealed to be the most effective fortification model, achieving the highest iodine concentrations in all tested species, with white clover being the best accumulator (1026.7 ± 60.4 µg I/100 g fresh weight) of this component. In turn, the greatest changes in biomass were observed in red clover (even up to 250% of the control). Iodine biofortification of legume sprouts could be effective; nevertheless, further research in this area is required.