Naturaldream brown rice cultivated with deep-sea mineral fertiliser: Integrating sustainable agriculture and functional food science for colorectal cancer prevention

This correspondence comments on the recent study by Lee et al. (2025) published in Food Research International, which investigated Naturaldream Brown Rice (NBR) cultivated with deep-sea mineral fertiliser for its potential in colorectal cancer (CRC) prevention. NBR demonstrated enriched mineral and γ-oryzanol content, enhanced antioxidant capacity, and significant modulation of pro- and anti-apoptotic markers in in vitro HT-29 colon cancer cells and in vivo AOM/DSS mouse models. The study further revealed potent anti-inflammatory effects and gut microbiota reprogramming towards a eubiotic profile. However, limitations remain regarding the translation of these findings, as rodent AOM/DSS models do not fully recapitulate the complexity of human CRC pathogenesis. Future studies should critically assess human applicability before broad claims are made. These findings highlight NBR as a promising functional food developed through sustainable agriculture, bridging ecological crop production with targeted disease prevention. Moreover, the integration of deep-sea mineral fertiliser should be evaluated not only for nutrient enrichment but also for long-term soil health, carbon footprint reduction, and life-cycle sustainability metrics.