Development and implementation of improved combined technology, agrotechnical and technological methods in the formation of the final product based on iodine and selenium biofortified spinach leaves

The need to implement the operation is justified by the results of scientific research within the meaning of Art. 4 section 2 of the Act of July 20, 2018, Law on Higher Education and Science (Journal of Laws of 2022, item 574, as amended ). A direct consequence of low supply of iodine and selenium in food is a negative impact on the well-being of society.

Research shows that food of plant origin, especially minimally processed products such as spinach, are an ideal model for fortification with iodine and selenium. An innovative solution in this area is a combination of biofortification and biostimulation. 

• So far, it has been confirmed that by using a combination of several factors, the ability of plants, e.g. lettuce, to bind microelements can be significantly increased.
• An additional positive aspect is also technological innovations and product innovations, which not only strengthen competitiveness, but also allow for the expansion of the range of products. The holistic approach proposed in the project can bring measurable effects not only for the Entrepreneur and the agricultural sector, but above all for society (introducing new functional food products to the market may contribute to limiting unfavorable population changes). 
• Finaly, the proposed innovation fits perfectly into the European Green Deal, and in particular the global transformation towards a competitive, sustainable "farm to fork" economy.

The aim of the operation is creation an innovative technology of biofortification with iodine and selenium in the process of planting spinach and processing biofortified spinach .

The main goal will be achieved through the implementation of the following intermediate goals:

• change technology in spinach fertilization on the field to produce biofortified raw material.
• Modification technology of spinach processing to consolidate the effect of field biofortification of spinach leaves with iodine and selenium ions.

As a result of creation of innovative technology will be a line of spinach-based products, biofortified with iodine and selenium.

Project activities

As part of the planned operations, development work will be carried out aimed at developing agrotechnical and technological processes to optimize their efficiency and effectiveness. The planned activities will include:

• optimalization of the correctness of planning a research experiment related to the planning of commercial plots in spinach cultivation,
• supervision over the establishment and liquidation of experimental fields,
• supervision and substantive care of technological processes in the processing plant,
• sampling for physico-chemical and microbiological analyzes after each technological stage,
• development of research results and conclusions,
• creating pilot trials of deep-frozen spinach briquettes and vegetable burgers with the main content of spinach leaves and subjecting them to consumer sensory evaluation.

The main benefits of the project

The result of the operation is to create three significantly improved products: The first is to develop growing conditions to obtain spinach leaves with a significantly higher content of selenium and iodine (up to 30%). The second product is deep-frozen briquettes obtained from a newly developed raw material, with an increased content of selenium and iodine obtained thanks to technology modification (blanching and freezing process). The third product is frozen vegetable burgers with the main content of biofortified spinach leaves, with a significantly higher level of iodine and selenium ions compared to burgers made from unfortified leaves.

Four main technological innovations have been proposed:

• The first one involves the biofortification of spinach with iodine and selenium through foliar application supported by biostimulation using high-humus agents.
• The second innovation involves the use of combined technology in which ozone is added to the water in the chiller's cooling system to sanitize the raw material . It is assumed that this will significantly reduce the potential microbiological risk that may occur on spinach leaves after the blanching process.
• The third innovation is an improved technology for preparing spinach leaves for the process of forming frozen spinach briquettes.
• The fourth technological improvement within the proposed solutions is an improved technology for the production of frozen vegetable burgers based on spinach leaves biofortified with iodine and selenium.
  As part of the project, an organizational innovation will be developed - a new model of organizing farmer's work. Optimizing the conditions for obtaining spinach, including the implementation of natural methods to improve its consumer quality ( biofortification , biostimulation), it will be possible to optimize agricultural production, ensuring an increase in the use of agricultural crops and ensuring permanent markets for it.

Practice summary

Planned to develop:

• three significantly improved products in the form of spinach leaves with a significantly higher content of selenium and iodine, deep-frozen briquettes obtained from new developed raw material, frozen vegetable burgers with an increased content of selenium, iodine and protein;
• four technological innovations including: the use of biofortification of spinach with iodine and selenium through foliar application supported by biostimulation in the form of high-humus agents; the use of a combined technology in which ozone added to the water in the chiller cooling system to sanitize the raw material ; improved technology for preparing spinach leaves for the process of forming frozen spinach; improved technology for the production of frozen vegetable burgers based on spinach leaves biofortified with iodine and 
• innovation - a new model of organizing farmer's work. Optimizing the conditions for obtaining spinach, including biofortification and biostimulation, it will be possible to optimize agricultural production, ensuring an increase in the use of agricultural crops and ensuring permanent markets for them.

The result of the operation has features that enable its adaptation to the production and processing of other vegetables.

Moreover, the developed technology can be used to create a new series of products biofortified with iodine and selenium, and the research methodology used can be transferred to biofortification with other deficient bioelements.     

Results achieved

• The innovative technology of biofortification of spinach leaves (Spinacia oleracea L.) with iodine and selenium using foliar fertilization with iodine and selenium fertilizers supported by humic acids, which was the subject of the operation planned by the operational group "Szpinakowy Zakątek", was implemented in field cultivation. The solution adopted by the operational group can be used to fortify other plant species with a large leaf blade surface.
• Another planned and implemented process was to refine the parameters of sanitization of blanched spinach leaves, consisting in determining the parameters of the ozonated water circulation in a closed chiller system in the technology of cooling spinach leaves after the blanching process in order to reduce microflora, and checking the fluctuations of iodine and selenium levels in the leaves after the blanching process. In accordance with the established technology, this procedure can be transferred to blanching technologies of other vegetables.
• The next innovation developed was the improvement of the technology for the preparation of spinach leaves biofortified with iodine and selenium for the continuous process of forming frozen spinach briquettes, which involved gelification (plasticization) of spinach leaves at a temperature of around -2°C on a freezing drum with a cooling agent inside and feeding the gelified mass to a briquette forming machine. The modified technology can be transferred to the production of other leafy vegetables.
• Recipes for frozen spinach burgers with a high protein content based on spinach leaves biofortified with iodine and selenium were also developed and on their basis, pilot tests of deep-frozen vegetable burgers with a main share of spinach leaves were produced using the modified technology and subjected to consumer sensory evaluation. Positive results were obtained, the results of which can be transferred to the technologies for the production of burgers from various vegetable groups.
• As part of the project, an improved innovative model of the organization of the farmer's work was developed, related to the optimization of agricultural production, ensuring increased use of agricultural crops and ensuring permanent sales markets for tchem  to the optimization of the conditions for obtaining spinach, including the implementation of natural methods of improving its consumer quality (biofortification, biostimulation).

As part of the completed operation, a significantly improved technology for the commercial production of spinach briquettes and burgers from spinach leaves biofortified with iodine and selenium and vegetable burgers with high protein content was developed and implemented. In addition, an innovative system for reducing microbiological contamination of blanched spinach leaves was developed based on a closed circuit of ozonated water. Appropriate doses of fertilizers and spinach leaf biostimulant were developed for use in the field cultivation phase carried out on the farm thanks to new methods of work organization. The results of the conducted experiments and research work were presented during the national conference organized on February 26, 2025 by PODR in Boguchwała. At the same time, the obtained results and their outcomes will be made public on the website of the Leader of the operational group and in scientific journals.

Additional comments

The proposed innovation related to the biofortification process is not limited by geographical scope and, after optimization, may be successfully used in other areas in the future.

The knowledge acquired as part of the project will also increase the competitiveness of the agricultural sector and entrepreneurs of know-how in growing and producing high-quality spinach. The implementation of improved, combined technology of product and technological innovations places the company's products at a new higher level, allowing it to meet the challenge related to the production of healthy food based on sustainable agriculture.

Moreover, the results of the operation will contribute to:

• Environmental protection: the project plans improvements that will bring significant environmental benefits. Biofortification with a biohumus agents is associated with improving the physical, biological and chemical properties of the soil. The use of water ozonation in a closed system in the cooling section of the blancher ( chiller ) allows for water savings and wastewater reduction. Another benefit is savings due to the management of small fractions of vegetables, which currently constitute production waste intended for disposal.
• Climate change mitigation: the proposed technological innovations will allow for the reduction of CO2, ash, dust, SO2 and nitrogen oxides emissions. The average level of reduction in the environmental burden of coal combustion products, and thus in organically unfavorable climate changes, will result from a reduction in the consumption of electricity and heat energy.
• The project supports the economic viability and competitiveness of farmers. The implementation of the cultivation of spinach biofortified with iodine and selenium will diversify their activities, which will contribute to making these farms more resistant to changes in the economic situation.