Nice try, cordyceps.
The boffins at the University of Adelaide say they’ve discovered a “beneficial” fungus that could be added to soil to increase the zinc and iron in wheat.
Clearly, they have not been watching The Last of Us.
For those readers who have also avoided it, the premise is that a mutated fungi from the cordyceps family – the one that turns ants into freaky little zombies before bursting out of their skull – has contaminated the global flour supply.
Humans who are exposed to the fungus turn into freaky little zombies themselves and transfer the fungal infection via bite.
Cue apocalypse.
According to the University of Adelaide researchers, wheat grown in Rhizophagus irregularis-enriched soil had greater grain biomass and higher micronutrient bioavailability.
Crucially, it did this without increasing phytate levels.
The biggest drawback to enriching soil with arbuscular mycorrhizal-type fungi like Rhizophagus irregularis has traditionally been that it also increases phosphorus uptake, leading to higher phytic acid levels in the grain.
Higher phytic acid levels hinder zinc and iron absorption in the digestive system, which defeats the purpose of making a zinc and iron enriched grain.
“Our research shows inoculating agricultural soils with mycorrhizal fungi could be a promising strategy for producing wheat grain with higher micronutrient bioavailability, without compromising agronomic practices, such as the use of phosphorus as a fertiliser, or yield targets,” University of Adelaide PhD student and lead author Thi Diem Nguyen said.
Not only were phytate levels unaffected under low soil phosphorus conditions, some varieties of wheat also exhibited lower phytate levels under high soil phosphorus conditions.
“Importantly, this suggests that for bread wheat, there is no trade-off between grain yield and nutritional quality of inoculated plants when phosphorus fertiliser is applied,” Mr Nguyen said.
That sure sounds like something a cordyceps-infected zombie researcher would say though, doesn’t it?
Theoretically, more nutritionally dense wheat could help address the iron deficiencies which affect approximately 60% of the world’s population.
Zinc deficiencies, meanwhile, affect about 30% of the global population.
If you send Last of Us season two spoilers to Holly@medicalrepublic.com.au she will be very sad.
