Pulse Biofortification for Nutritional Security: A Critical Narrative Review of Biological Pathways, Bioavailability and Delivery

Abstract

Micronutrient deficiencies persist where affordable diets provide insufficient quantities of bioavailable minerals and vitamins. Pulses are strategically important targets for biofortification because they combine protein, dietary fibre and micronutrients with high consumption in many low- and middle-income settings. Their value, however, is constrained by a recurrent disconnect between increased seed nutrient concentration and demonstrated nutritional benefit. This critical narrative review evaluates pathways by which pulse biofortification can contribute to nutritional security, with emphasis on common bean, lentil, chickpea, field pea, mungbean and cowpea. Literature published from 2000 to 19 June 2026 was prioritised, with earlier seminal evidence retained when necessary. Genetic, genomic, agronomic, processing, bioavailability, human efficacy and delivery evidence was integrated rather than assessed as isolated technical domains. The strongest evidence supports heritable variation in iron and zinc concentration across several pulse species, substantial genotype-by-environment effects, and agronomic responsiveness of zinc, iron and selenium under appropriate soil or foliar management. Yet total seed concentration is an incomplete endpoint because phytate, polyphenols, mineral speciation, cooking losses and food-matrix effects alter the amount ultimately available for absorption. Human evidence is markedly uneven. Iron-biofortified common bean has progressed furthest from breeding through controlled feeding trials, with improvement in iron status and associated functional outcomes in Rwandan women, while comparable efficacy evidence for lentil, chickpea, mungbean, cowpea and pea remains limited. Delivery studies further show that seed access, agronomic performance, sensory acceptance and market diffusion determine whether nutritional traits reach habitual diets. The review therefore proposes a chain-of-evidence perspective in which nutritional security requires simultaneous success in crop performance, nutrient density, retention, bioavailability, consumption and population reach. Future programmes should breed for bioavailable nutrient delivery rather than concentration alone, validate stability across target environments, embed processing and human absorption endpoints earlier in selection, and evaluate adoption and equity at scale.