Biofortification: Introduction, Approaches, Limitations, and Challenges

Singh, U., Praharaj, C.S., Chaturvedi, S.K. and Bohra, A. (2016) Biofortification: Introduction, Approaches, Limitations, and Challenges. In: Singh, U., Praharaj, C.S., Singh, S.S. and Singh, N.P., (eds.) Biofortification of Food Crops. Springer New Delhi, pp. 3-18.

Abstract

Micronutrient malnutrition is known to affect more than half of the world’s population and considered to be among the most serious global challenges to humankind. Modern plant breeding has been historically oriented toward achieving high agronomic yields rather than nutritional quality, and other efforts related to alleviating the problem have been primarily through industrial fortification or pharmaceutical supplementation. Micronutrient malnutrition or the hidden hunger is very common among women and preschool children caused mainly by low dietary intake of micronutrients, especially Zn and Fe. Biofortification, the process of increasing the bioavailable concentrations of essential elements in edible portions of crop plants through agronomic intervention or genetic selection, may be the solution to malnutrition or hidden hunger mitigation. The Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research has been investigating the genetic potential to increase bioavailable Fe and Zn in staple food crops such as rice, wheat, maize, common beans, and cassava.

Item Type:	Book Chapter
Publisher:	Springer New Delhi
Copyright:	© 2016 Springer India
URI:	http://researchrepository.murdoch.edu.au/id/eprint/66350

Item Control Page