Zinc chloride

When the seeds of plants such as pea and sunflower are biofortified with zinc, the seedlings they quickly produce -- harvested as microgreens -- could both help to mitigate global malnutrition and boost the odds of people surviving a catastrophe. When the seeds of plants such as pea and sunflower are biofortified with zinc, the seedlings they quickly produce -- harvested as microgreens -- could both help to mitigate global malnutrition and boost the odds of people surviving a catastrophe. That's the conclusion of a Penn State research team that experimented with several biofortification methods to determine the most effective way to incorporate a mineral essential to human health into the young plants while not diminishing the amounts of other essential nutrients they produce. Microgreens biofortified with zinc offer people a lifeline in the face of starvation risk, according to team leader Francesco Di Gioia, assistant professor of vegetable crop science. "This study has demonstrated that zinc biofortification through seed nutri-priming achieves needed levels of zinc in the young pea and sunflower plants we focused our experiments on," he said. "These results have implications for both global 'hidden hunger' and emergency or catastrophe preparedness." The work is another development in the ongoing project "Food Resilience in the Face of Catastrophic Global Events," funded by the nonprofit foundation Open Philanthropy. In Di Gioia's work, an international team of researchers found that microgreens can be grown in a variety of soilless production systems in small spaces indoors, with or without artificial lighting. The zinc biofortification component is an important new innovation. Biofortification is the process of growing crops to increase nutritional value from the seed on, Di Gioia explained. It is different from food fortification, which involves adding nutrients to foods during post-harvest processing. In poor regions of the world, or under post-catastrophic conditions, simply soaking seeds in a zinc solution is a practical and effective strategy for producing nutrient-dense microgreens, he pointed out. "Starting decades ago as fashionable, high-value gourmet greens, microgreens today have gained popularity among consumers for their nutritional pro high content of antioxidant compounds," he said. "Our work shows microgreens can help people to survive a global catastrophe such as all-out nuclear war, a large asteroid strike or supervolcano eruption in the short term, but additional nutritional resources may be needed in the longer term." Such a cataclysmic event would endanger agricultural productivity by reducing sunlight and temperature, disrupting rainfall patterns, and contaminating water supplies, thus threatening starvation for survivors of the initial event. Early on, biofortified microgreen production could improve the probability of human survival under these conditions. The prospect of also being able to expeditiously mitigate hidden hunger excites Pradip Poudel, the second-year doctoral degree student in the College of Agricultural Sciences who spearheaded the research. He suggested that production of nutrient-dense crops using agronomic biofortification techniques is a sustainable strategy that is badly needed to address malnutrition. The World Health Organization defines "hidden hunger" as a lack of vitamins and minerals that occurs when the quality of food people eat does not meet the nutrient requirements they need for their growth and development, Poudel noted. Two billion people suffer from vitamin and mineral deficiencies, according to the WHO. "We were thinking, how can we increase the content of zinc in microgreens, developing a very simple way that people could use at home in a 'microgreens growing kit' that could be delivered in an emergency situation," he said. "And we know it will be important to include a fertilizer source for zinc so people will just have to soak the seeds before putting them in germination -- a very simple process that anyone can do to enrich their microgreens with zinc." In findings recently published in Frontiers in Plant Science, the researchers reported that zinc sulfate, which is sometimes taken as a dietary supplement to treat a zinc deficiency or to promote wellness, was the most effective zinc source. Seeds soaked in a 200 parts per million solution of zinc sulphate resulted in higher zinc accumulation in both peas (126%) and sunflower microgreens (230%). Researchers examined the effect of different zinc sources and soaking concentrations on microgreen-yield components such as mineral content; phytochemical constituents such as total chlorophyll, carotenoids, flavonoids, anthocyanin and total phenolic compounds; antioxidant activity; and antinutrient factors such as phytic acid. Seed soaking in zinc sulfate and zinc oxide solutions at higher concentrations reduced phytic acid in both pea and sunflower microgreens -- a positive development -- the researchers pointed out. Because phytic acid is known to be an "anti-nutrient," its lower level suggests the zinc might be more bioaccessible, or nutritionally available, to consumers. While microgreens and sprouts are similar, they are not the same thing, Poudel noted. Both are baby plants; both can be grown indoors; and both can be grown from the same types of seeds. But that is where the similarities end. A sprout is the first stage in a plant's life cycle after the seed germinates. When the baby plant grows beyond its first shoot and root, it transitions to the microgreen stage. Microgreens are essentially the mature plant in miniature, with leaves, stems and roots. They are typically harvested after the stem has grown 3 to 5 inches tall and its first set of leaves appear. "The reason microgreens are so rich in nutrients, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants," he added, "is that they all soon would be spread throughout the maturing plants' leaves, flowers and fruit." Joshua Lambert, professor of food science, and Erin Connolly, professor and department head of plant science, contributed to the research. This research was funded by Open Philanthropy through the "Food Resilience in the Face of Catastrophic Global Events" grant and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

LOS ANGELES--( BUSINESS WIRE )-- EZC Pak , the physician-formulated, over-the-counter immune support system designed to reduce antibiotic misuse in treating colds and flus, is proud to announce the results of a double-blind study that evaluated the efficacy and safety of EZC Pak’s five-day tapered immune support pack in the management of outpatient upper respiratory infections (URIs). Over the course of nine months, 360 patients across the United States were enrolled in the publicly listed, NIH-registered clinical trial, which revealed that those with upper respiratory infections who took EZC Pak recovered 1.39 days faster (p=0.017), reported a 17.43% lower symptom severity (p=0.029), and 2.9x higher patient satisfaction (p=0.012) versus placebo patients. These results further validate the effectiveness of EZC Pak’s immune support formula and five-day tapered system as a proven, data-driven alternative to antibiotic misuse in treating colds, flus, and other URIs. "EZC Pak was designed and formulated utilizing datasets in each component ingredient and then subsequently tested in an observational study. This is the first double-blind randomized control trial — the gold standard in clinical research — comparing EZC Pak’s efficacy vs. placebo," said Dr. Sarath Malepati, creator of EZC Pak. "The study’s findings support the use of EZC Pak as a readily available over-the-counter alternative to patient requests for antibiotics when none are deemed necessary at the time of initial clinical presentation, which is the core use case EZC Pak was created to serve. In the midst of surging antibiotic resistance and the growing threat of superbugs wreaking havoc on our public health, this study highlights the role that EZC Pak can play in improving antibiotic stewardship in outpatient URI management in order to preserve the antibiotics we have left for cases when they are truly clinically indicated.” The trial was executed by a third party clinical research organization Citrus Labs, with participants enrolled and randomized in a double-blind manner across two intervention groups. 120 patients were given EZC Pak, 60 were given EZC Pak + Vitamin D, and 180 were given the placebo. Patients were asked to track and report their symptoms and vitals in an app-based journal immediately after first falling sick. Once a participant reported the first URI symptom, they were instructed to take the intervention as directed and complete the daily symptom survey score until their symptoms resolved. The overall illness reduction rate, decreased symptom severity score, and higher patient satisfaction scores linked to active EZC Pak participants further prove and demonstrate the company’s commitment to providing optimal over-the-counter immune support as an alternative to unnecessary antibiotics in treating colds and flus. "Some prescribers express concern that patients expect antibiotics, often asking for specific antibiotics directly by name, and are unsure whether recommending an over-the-counter alternative will lead to negative patient satisfaction scores and doctor reviews. This study of EZC Pak should encourage those prescribers that the patient’s main goal is to get better and they are open and willing to trust their doctor on that journey,” Dr. Malepati commented. “It is our hope that these findings support both doctors and patients in making good decisions with their health. Taking antibiotics when unneeded has serious and growing consequences, as well. Overall, we are pleased that the trial provides intriguing evidence for the potential use of EZC Pak in outpatient URI management.” Despite research linking low vitamin D levels with an increased incidence of URIs, no difference in recovery speed or symptom severity was found in this trial between using EZC Pak and its vitamin D-boosted formula during the acute phase of illness. The results are consistent with recent COVID-19 trials that have not shown illness reduction benefit to taking vitamin D during the acute phase of the infection. The authors state that the decision to replete vitamin D during active illness remains an individualized decision left to the patient and their doctor at this time. The clinical trial was published by Dove Medical Press in Infection & Drug Resistance , an open access peer-reviewed medical journal that covers research on infection treatments and strategies. The study design and analysis was carried out in collaboration with researchers at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. ABOUT EZC PAK EZC Pak is the proven over-the-counter rapid immune support solution that contains professional strength doses of Echinacea , zinc, vitamin C (and sometimes vitamin D). Physician-formulated as a tapered five-day alternative to antibiotics (when appropriate), EZC Pak’s award-winning formula was created to address the misuse and overprescribing of antibiotics in upper respiratory infections, which has contributed to increasing cases of antibiotic resistance in which bacteria develop the ability to withstand the treatments designed to kill them. Backed by powerful clinical data, EZC Pak is the only over-the-counter solution that is physician-formulated and readily available at pharmacies, drug stores, and online to help sick individuals recover faster without the use of antibiotics or prescription medications when appropriate. The immune support solution is currently offered in two five-day tapered systems: EZC Pak ( Echinacea , zinc, and vitamin C) and EZC Pak+D (EZC’s base formula plus vitamin D). EZC Pak is currently available without a prescription at any CVS, Rite Aid, and select other U.S. grocery stores — as well as online at Amazon, Walmart, and the company’s website. To learn more, please visit www.ezcpak.com or follow the company on socials: Instagram , Facebook & Twitter .