Malnutrition and nutrient deficiencies remain widespread global challenges, affecting millions of people particularly in low-income and developing countries. One promising approach that has gained increasing attention is the development of biofortified crops. Few most common techniques include traditional breeding methods, genetic engineering and genome editing. Breeding for development of biofortified crops involve selecting and crossing plants with desirable traits that improve their nutritional content. This can include increasing the levels of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients that are essential for human health1.

Marker-assisted stacking of crtRB1, lcyE and o2 was undertaken in the genetic background of four maize hybrids (HQPM1, HQPM4, HQPM5 and HQPM7) popularly grown in India. HP704-22 and HP704-23 were used as donors, while four elite QPM parents viz., HKI161, HKI163, HKI193-1, and HKI193-2 were used as recipients. The reconstituted hybrids showed an average of 4.5-fold increase in Provitamin A with a range of 9.25–12.88 μg/g, compared to original hybrids (2.14–2.48 μg/g)2.

The instability of provitamin A in many crops resulted in significant reduction of the potential nutrition values of food crops. The expression of the homogentisate geranylgeranyl transferase (HGGT) gene enhances the expression of vitamin E which intern stabilizes the Provitamin A in sorghum3.

Breeding approaches have achieved significant progress in developing biofortified crops, ongoing research and innovation are necessary to address new challenges and optimize nutrient enhancement. Continued investment in research, technology and infrastructure is essential to unlock the full potential of biofortification and contribute to global efforts in eradicating malnutrition and improving public health. By embracing and supporting biofortification initiatives, we move closer to the future where nutrient-rich crops play a central role in achieving food security and nutrition for all.

References: 

1. SHAHZAD, R., JAMIL, S., AHMAD, S., NISAR, A., KHAN, S., AMINA, Z., KANWAL, S., ASLAM, H. M. U., GILL, R. A. AND ZHOU, W., 2021, Biofortification of cereals and pulses using new breeding techniques: current and future perspectives. Front. Nutr, 8: 665. 

2. ZUNJARE, R. U., HOSSAIN, F., MUTHUSAMY, V., BAVEJA, A., CHAUHAN, H. S., BHAT, J. S., THIRUNAVUKKARASU, N., SAHA, S. AND GUPTA, H. S., 2018, Development of biofortified maize hybrids through marker-assisted stacking of β-carotene hydroxylase, lycopene-ε-cyclase and opaque2 genes. Front. Plant Sci., 9: 178. 

3. CHEA, P., ZHAO, Z. Y., GLASSMAN, K., DOLDE, D., HU, T. X., JONES, T. J., GRUIS, D. F., OBUKOSIA, S., WAMBUGU, F. AND ALBERTSEN, M. C., 2016, Elevated vitamin E content improves all-trans β-carotene accumulation and stability in biofortified sorghum. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci, 113(39): 11040-11045.