Empowering health with mushroom biofortification: nutritional and medicinal attributes

Abstract

Undernutrition, sometimes known as “hidden hunger”, affect over two billion individuals globally, primarily due to low mineral content in staple food. Minerals play a very crucial roles in human health, influencing various functions from bone strength to heart rhythm regulation. Biofortification or enriching processed foods of staple crops have emerged as effective strategies to combat deficiencies, significantly enhancing mineralabsorption and bioavailability. In this context, mushrooms stand up as a potential candidate with their diverse species and exceptional ability to accumulate minerals and other bioactive ingredients, offering a valuable resource for enriching food. However, biofortification of edible mushrooms via addition of certain metals such as lithium, zinc, selenium, iron and others presents a promising sustainable approach for delivering essential nutrients to human being. Thus, continued research and optimization of biofortification methods hold promise for improving human health andcombating hidden hunger on a global scale.