Biofortification of Edible Plants
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This chapter provides a general overview of the different approaches and opportunities for the biofortification of edible plants to achieve the goal of improving human diet and setting the stage for the eradication or alleviation of malnutrition through sustainable agriculture. To alleviate nutritional issues and nutrient deficiencies, biofortification of edible plants is considered the most appropriate approach. By contrast, biofortification focuses onimproving the nutritional content of region's current agricultural biodiversity, preserving its habits and customs. However, recent development in omics, particularly metabolomics and related techniques, is significantly contributing to deciphering the potential alterations in plants caused by biofortification. Vitamins and micronutrients biofortification of crops through breeding has been considered for decades. This strategy is based on two different approaches: explore the genetic diversity of the existing species by identifying the parental genotypes potentially interesting for crosses and identify the existing varieties or germplasms.Keywords:
Biofortification
Germ plasm
Vitamin deficiencies are major forms of micronutrient deficiencies, and are associated with huge economic losses as well as severe physical and intellectual damages to humans. Much evidence has demonstrated that biofortification plays an important role in combating vitamin deficiencies due to its economical and effective delivery of nutrients to populations in need. Biofortification enables food plants to be enriched with vitamins through conventional breeding and/or biotechnology. Here, we focus on the progress in the manipulation of the vitamin metabolism, an essential part of biofortification, by the genetic modification or by the marker-assisted selection to understand mechanisms underlying metabolic improvement in food plants. We also propose to integrate new breeding technologies with metabolic pathway modification to facilitate biofortification in food plants and, thereby, to benefit human health.
Biofortification
Essential nutrient
Metabolic pathway
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Biofortification
Micronutrient deficiency
Plant Breeding
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Biofortification
Human nutrition
Micronutrient deficiency
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This chapter provides a general overview of the different approaches and opportunities for the biofortification of edible plants to achieve the goal of improving human diet and setting the stage for the eradication or alleviation of malnutrition through sustainable agriculture. To alleviate nutritional issues and nutrient deficiencies, biofortification of edible plants is considered the most appropriate approach. By contrast, biofortification focuses onimproving the nutritional content of region's current agricultural biodiversity, preserving its habits and customs. However, recent development in omics, particularly metabolomics and related techniques, is significantly contributing to deciphering the potential alterations in plants caused by biofortification. Vitamins and micronutrients biofortification of crops through breeding has been considered for decades. This strategy is based on two different approaches: explore the genetic diversity of the existing species by identifying the parental genotypes potentially interesting for crosses and identify the existing varieties or germplasms.
Biofortification
Germ plasm
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Abstract Iron deficiency and iron deficiency anemia continue to be significant public health problems worldwide. While supplementation and fortification have been viable means to improve iron nutriture of the population in developed countries, they may be less successful in developing regions for a number of reasons, including complexities in distribution and consumer compliance. Biofortification of staple crops, through conventional plant breeding strategies or modern methods of biotechnology, provides an alternative approach that may be more sustainable once initial investments have been made. Three types of biofortification strategies are being essayed, singly or in combination: increasing the total iron content of edible portions of the plant, decreasing the levels of inhibitors of iron absorption, and increasing the levels of factors that enhance iron absorption. Bioavailability is a key concept in iron nutrition, particularly for nonheme iron such as is found in these biofortified foods. An overview is presented of methods for evaluation of iron bioavailability from foods nutritionally enhanced through biotechnology.
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Biofortification
Germ plasm
Micronutrient deficiency
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Widespread malnutrition of zinc (Zn), iodine (I), iron (Fe) and selenium (Se), known as hidden hunger, represents a predominant cause of several health complications in human populations where rice (Oryza sativa L.) is the major staple food. Therefore, increasing concentrations of these micronutrients in rice grain represents a sustainable solution to hidden hunger. This study aimed at enhancing concentration of Zn, I, Fe and Se in rice grains by agronomic biofortification. We evaluated effects of foliar application of Zn, I, Fe and Se on grain yield and grain concentration of these micronutrients in rice grown at 21 field sites during 2015 to 2017 in Brazil, China, India, Pakistan and Thailand. Experimental treatments were: (i) local control (LC); (ii) foliar Zn; (iii) foliar I; and (iv) foliar micronutrient cocktail (i.e., Zn + I + Fe + Se). Foliar-applied Zn, I, Fe or Se did not affect rice grain yield. However, brown rice Zn increased with foliar Zn and micronutrient cocktail treatments at all except three field sites. On average, brown rice Zn increased from 21.4 mg kg-1 to 28.1 mg kg-1 with the application of Zn alone and to 26.8 mg kg-1 with the micronutrient cocktail solution. Brown rice I showed particular enhancements and increased from 11 μg kg-1 to 204 μg kg-1 with the application of I alone and to 181 μg kg-1 with the cocktail. Grain Se also responded very positively to foliar spray of micronutrients and increased from 95 to 380 μg kg-1. By contrast, grain Fe was increased by the same cocktail spray at only two sites. There was no relationship between soil extractable concentrations of these micronutrients with their grain concentrations. The results demonstrate that irrespective of the rice cultivars used and the diverse soil conditions existing in five major rice-producing countries, the foliar application of the micronutrient cocktail solution was highly effective in increasing grain Zn, I and Se. Adoption of this agronomic practice in the target countries would contribute significantly to the daily micronutrient intake and alleviation of micronutrient malnutrition in human populations.
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Biofortification has been used to improve micronutrient contents in crops for human consumption. In under-developed regions, it is important to fortify crops so that people can obtain essential micronutrients despite the limited variety in their diets. In wealthy societies, fortified crops are regarded as a “greener” choice for health supplements. Biofortification is also used in crops to boost the contents of other non-essential secondary metabolites which are considered beneficial to human health. Breeding of elite germplasms and metabolic engineering are common approaches to fortifying crops. However, the time required for breeding and the acceptance of genetically modified crops by the public have presented significant hurdles. As an alternative approach, microbe-mediated biofortification has not received the attention it deserves, despite having great potential. It has been reported that the inoculation of soil or crops with rhizospheric or endophytic microbes, respectively, can enhance the micronutrient contents in various plant tissues including roots, leaves and fruits. In this review, we highlight the applications of microbes as a sustainable and cost-effective alternative for biofortification by improving the mineral, vitamin, and beneficial secondary metabolite contents in crops through naturally occurring processes. In addition, the complex plant–microbe interactions involved in biofortification are also addressed.
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Micronutrients are essential for plant growth because they serve as catalysts for a variety of organic reactions occurring inside the plant. But it is observed that the red, lateritic and associated soils of eastern India are acidic in soil reaction, light textured, low organic matter and P and are often deficient in S and micronutrients like Zn, B, Mo. Bio-fortification is a rapidly emerging strategy to address micronutrient malnutrition, but as an agricultural strategy with health objectives, it faces unique challenges especially when Zinc (Zn) deficiency caused by inadequate dietary intake is a global nutritional problem in human populations, especially in developing countries. Agronomic biofortification or ferti-fortification is one such way of incorporating adequate amount of micronutrients in different food crops. Many professional researchers around the world are still working to mitigate this micronutrient deficiencies in crop and human and incorporate micronutrients through dietary intake of vegetable crops.
Biofortification
Food fortification
Micronutrient deficiency
Human nutrition
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Bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is an important cereal crop that provides >20% of the global calorie intake. Bread wheat contains micronutrients, and thus plays a significant role in nutritional and food securities especially in developing countries. However, its grains are inherently deficient in some micronutrients, particularly iron and zinc, which makes them important biofortification targets. Our objective was to investigate variations in micronutrients and their relationship with grain yield components in wheat under four environments in South Africa. A population of 139 doubled haploid lines derived from a cross between cvv. Tugela-DN and Elands was phenotyped for grain iron and grain zinc concentrations and grain yield components. Heat and drought conditions at Arlington resulted in higher grain zinc concentrations and lower yield component traits; the opposite trend was observed at Bethlehem and Harrismith for both micronutrients and yield components. All traits showed transgressive segregation. Grain iron and zinc concentrations were significantly positively correlated in all four environments. The correlations between these minerals and yield components were inconsistent and ranged from significant to insignificant depending on the environment, indicating that this relationship is non-genetic. The results demonstrate that biofortification of both grain iron and grain zinc can be included as part of the breeding objectives and will not necessarily have adverse relationships with grain yield components.
Biofortification
Doubled haploidy
Plant Breeding
Micronutrient deficiency
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