Current Status and Potential of Biofortification to Enhance Crop Nutritional Quality: An Overview

Seema Sheoran, Sandeep Kumar, Vinita Ramtekey, Priyajoy Kar, Ram Swaroop Meena and Chetan Kumar Jangir
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Seema Sheoran: ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, Regional Station, Karnal 132001, India
Sandeep Kumar: ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, Regional Station, Karnal 132001, India
Vinita Ramtekey: ICAR-Indian Institute of Seed Science, Mau 275103, India
Priyajoy Kar: ICAR-Indian Institute of Maize Research, Ludhiana 141004, India
Ram Swaroop Meena: Department of Agronomy, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi 221005, India
Chetan Kumar Jangir: Division of Soil Science, ICAR-National Research Centre on Seed Spices, Ajmer 305006, India

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 6, 1-27

Abstract: Around 2 billion people are suffering from chronic malnutrition or “hidden hunger”, which is the result of many diseases and disorders, including cognitive degeneration, stunting growth, and mortality. Thus, biofortification of staple food crops enriched with micronutrients is a more sustainable option for providing nutritional supplements and managing malnutrition in a society. Since 2001, when the concept of biofortification came to light, different research activities have been carried out, like the development of target populations, breeding or genetic engineering, and the release of biofortified cultivars, in addition to conducting nutritional efficacy trials and delivery plan development. Although, being a cost-effective intervention, it still faces many challenges, like easy accessibility of biofortified cultivars, stakeholders’ acceptance, and the availability of biofortified germplasm in the public domain, which varies from region to region. Hence, this review is focused on the recent potential, efforts made to crop biofortification, impacts analysis on human health, cost-effectiveness, and future perspectives to further strengthen biofortification programs. Through regular interventions of sustainable techniques and methodologies, biofortification holds huge potential to solve the malnutrition problem through regular interventions of nutrient-enriched staple food options for billions of people globally.

Keywords: biofortification; cost-effectiveness; COVID-19; health effects; malnutrition (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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