A dynamic website for a government/ industry-funded project exploring biofortification of wheat with selenium
نویسنده
چکیده
In 2005, scientists within several UK-based academic and industrial organizations came together to work on a research project, funded jointly by the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and several industry partners. The project was entitled Biofortification through Agronomy and Genotypes to Elevate the Levels of Selenium (BAGELS). The aim of the BAGELS project, which will report in 2009, is to determine if it is possible to increase safely the selenium (Se) content of bread, through the use of Se-containing fertilizers (i.e. agronomic biofortification). The BAGELS project is also seeking to study the natural genetic variation in grain Se concentration to determine if it might be possible to breed for Se-enriched wheat (i.e. genetic biofortification). The underlying rationale for the BAGELS project is that Se-biofortified wheat is a potential strategy for increasing the dietary intakes of Se and thereby improve human health for most of the population. It was recognized that an official website for the BAGELS project could be used to communicate the importance of Se to human health in addition to providing a simple means to exchange results between scientists. Therefore, the aim of my research project was to create a BAGELS project website, which delivered specific objectives to meet the needs of the project manager and project consortium members. After investigation into website design and construction, accessibility and web-authoring tools, a final dynamic website was created using the free open source software Joomla!. A review of the recent scientific studies on Se and health, and the options for increasing Se intake were included as a first step towards developing a source of public information. There is strong evidence linking low Se intake and status in humans and adverse health effects, including immune disfunction and cancer.
منابع مشابه
Microbial-enhanced Selenium and Iron Biofortification of Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)--Applications in Phytoremediation and Biofortification.
Selenium (Se) is an essential trace element for humans and other mammals. Most dietary Se is derived from crops. To develop a Se biofortification strategy for wheat, the effect of selenate fertilization and bacterial inoculation on Se uptake and plant growth was investigated. YAM2, a bacterium with 99% similarity to Bacillus pichinotyi, showed many plant growth promoting characteristics. Inocul...
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Selenium (Se) is an essential micronutrient for humans and animals, but is deficient in at least a billion people worldwide. Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is a major dietary source of Se. The largest survey to date of Se status of Australians found a mean plasma Se concentration of 103 microg/l in 288 Adelaide residents, just above the nutritional adequacy level. In the total sample analysed (si...
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Selenium (Se) is an essential trace element that plays various roles in human health. Understanding the genetic control of Se content and quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping provide a basis for Se biofortification of wheat to enhance grain Se content. In the present study, a set of recombinant inbred lines (RILs) derived from two Chinese winter wheat varieties (Tainong18 and Linmai6) was used...
متن کاملBiofortification of UK food crops with selenium.
Se is an essential element for animals. In man low dietary Se intakes are associated with health disorders including oxidative stress-related conditions, reduced fertility and immune functions and an increased risk of cancers. Although the reference nutrient intakes for adult females and males in the UK are 60 and 75 microg Se/d respectively, dietary Se intakes in the UK have declined from >60 ...
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