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ARS Home » Plains Area » Manhattan, Kansas » Center for Grain and Animal Health Research » Stored Product Insect and Engineering Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #391023
Research Project: Advancing Technologies for Grain Trait Measurement and Storage Preservation

Location: Stored Product Insect and Engineering Research

Title: Flax and sorghum: Multi-elemental contents and nutritional values within 210 varieties and potential selection for future climates to sustain food security

Author
item GOKHAN, HACISALIHOGLU - Florida A & M University
item Armstrong, Paul

Submitted to: Plants
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/2/2022
Publication Date: 2/6/2022
Citation: Gokhan, H., Armstrong, P.R. 2022. Flax and Sorghum: Multi-Elemental Contents and Nutritional Values within 210 Varieties and Potential Selection for Future Climates to Sustain Food Security.. Plants. 11(3). Article 541. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11030451.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11030451

Interpretive Summary: Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends prioritizing nutrient dense foods while decreasing consumption of energy-dense ones. Both flax and sorghum are rich in various essential minerals. A serving size of 28 g of flax typically delivers 37% of the daily value (DV) for Copper, 31% for Manganese, 28% for Magnesium, and 19% for Zinc, while sorghum delivers 24% of Manganese, 16% of Copper, 11% of Magnesium, and 10% of Zinc. Flax is primarily grown in two US states, North Dakota and Minnesota, but can and has been grown in eastern and midwestern states. Sorghum is an important grain crop and has been adapted to drying regions where natural or irrigation water has become limiting. Previous studies have shown that elevated atmospheric CO2 levels could reduce key nutrients in crops. This study reports the levels of several minerals from 102 flax and 108 sorghum varieties revealing the significant variation among varieties. From these varieties, six flax and six sorghum varieties were identified with significantly higher levels of several key minerals. These varieties could be useful for developing new varieties that maintain or improve their nutrient profiles under elevated CO2 levels, and more challenging climatic conditions, thus leading to improved health and food security into the future.

Technical Abstract: Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends giving priority to nutrient dense foods while decreasing energy-dense ones. Both flax (Linum usitatissimum) and sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) are rich in various essential minerals. A serving size of 28 g of flax typically delivers 37% of the daily value (DV) for Copper, 31% for Manganese, 28% for Magnesium, and 19% for Zinc, while sorghum delivers 24% of Manganese, 16% of Copper, 11% of Magnesium, and 10% of Zinc. Previous studies have shown that elevated CO2 levels could reduce key nutrients in crops. In this study, 102 flax and 108 sorghum varieties were analyzed to investigate their ionome diversity and elemental level interactions. The results showed substantial genetic variation and elemental correlation in flax and sorghum. We identified a set of flax and sorghum varieties with superior seed mineral composition that could complement breeding programs in improving nutritional quality of flax and sorghum. Overall, we demonstrate additional minerals data and their corresponding health and food security benefits within flax and sorghum that could be considered by consumers and breeding programs for facilitating improvement for seed nutritional content.