Plants that could tackle vitamin B deficiencies

Edible plant diversity

There are at least 7,000 species of edible plants, yet the world depends on just a handful. In fact, around 60% of our calorie intake from plants comes from three crops: wheat, rice and maize.

This over-reliance on a small number of crops is contributing to malnutrition, as well as leaving food systems vulnerable to the effects of climate change.

Around two billion people worldwide suffer with “hidden hunger”, meaning they have an insufficient intake of micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) essential for health.

Hidden hunger often receives less attention than calorie-deficit hunger but can also be detrimental and is not just a problem in low- and middle-income countries, but high-income countries too.

Micronutrient deficiencies lead to a weakened immune system, reduced brain function, blindness and an estimated one million premature deaths each year.

The solution to hidden hunger is not necessarily through increased food intake, but rather through a varied and balanced diet, which can be supported by taking advantage of the rich plant diversity available to us. 

However, very few of the thousands of edible plant species found on Earth have had their nutritional contents characterised which hinders their preservation and sustainable use. 

In our new paper, published in Nature Plants, we collaborated with scientists from across the UK (RBG Kew, Imperial College London, University of Reading and King’s College London) and the US (Harvard University and Christopher Newport University) to predict the micronutrient profile of underutilised plant species and identify those that could be key sources of vitamins, with a focus on B vitamins.

Identifying nutritional plants  

We gathered vitamin-B content data for nearly 300 nutritionally-known edible plant species and were able to find that closely related species had very similar nutritional values.

Using this data, we could then predict the vitamin profiles for over 6,400 nutritionally unknown edible species, which allowed us to identify 1,044 species as potential B-vitamin sources.

To gauge the long-term availability of these species for humanity, we also looked at the threat status of each species.

Of the 1,044 species, 63 are threatened with extinction in the wild and need immediate protection before they disappear. 

More than 300 species haven’t had their threat status assessed and may be threatened but we just don’t know.

A further 272 species are not currently preserved in seedbanks. 

Many of these vulnerable and nutritionally-rich species are found in global hotspots of malnutrition such as South-East Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. 
 

Threatened species with potential

Wild durian

Durio kutejensis is a wild species of the “world’s smelliest fruit” Durian.

The species grows in Borneo, Indonesia and is threatened by deforestation and expanding agriculture. It is less sweet than the more commonly cultivated Durian species (Durio zibethinus), and has a more bland flavour.

Baobabs

Fruits and seeds of several emblematic Baobabs (Adansonia), also known as the ‘upside down tree’, endemic from Madagascar may be good sources of folate (vitamin B9).

They are used locally for different purposes, including food but also charcoal and timber, which leads them to be critically endangered.

Mining and agriculture are also major threats. Some species have only a handful of populations left in the wild.