Evaluation of selenium enrichment of adzuki bean (Vigna angularis) sprouts: Translocation, bioaccessibility and Se-protein speciation

Bean sprouts are a natural food. It is possible to enrich bean sprouts with essential elements. Considering the nutritional benefits of sprout consumption and the importance of Se in human nutrition, the aims of the present study were: (1) to produce Se-enriched adzuki bean sprouts; (2) to evaluate selenium accumulation, uptake and translocation in plants in different culture media (selenite or selenate); and (3) to evaluate the effects of Se enrichment. Translocation of Se was higher using selenate for enrichment, resulting in sprouts with 890% higher Se concentration than in the selenite-enriched medium. The percentage of Se associated to proteins (albumins, globulins, prolamins and glutelins) was 54% using selenite, while with selenate, it was only 19%. In the bioaccessibility studies, Se was 100% bioaccessible in both enriched medium. The enrichment strategy used in this study did not influence the bioaccessible levels of macro and micronutrients.