Abstract

Malnutrition results in enormous socio-economic costs to the individual, their community, and the nation's economy. The evidence suggests an overall negative impact of climate change on the agricultural productivity and nutritional quality of food crops. Producing more food with better nutritional quality, which is feasible, should be prioritized in crop improvement programs. Biofortification refers to developing micronutrient -dense cultivars through crossbreeding or genetic engineering. This review provides updates on nutrient acquisition, transport, and storage in plant organs; the cross-talk between macro- and micronutrients transport and signaling; nutrient profiling and spatial and temporal distribution; the putative and functionally characterized genes/single-nucleotide polymorphisms associated with Fe, Zn, and beta-carotene; and global efforts to breed nutrient-dense crops and map adoption of such crops globally. This article also includes an overview on the bioavailability, bioaccessibility, and bioactivity of nutrients as well as the molecular basis of nutrient transport and absorption in human. Over 400 minerals (Fe, Zn) and provitamin A-rich cultivars have been released in the Global South. Approximately 4.6 million households currently cultivate Zn-rich rice and wheat, while similar to 3 million households in sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America benefit from Fe-rich beans, and 2.6 million people in sub-Saharan Africa and Brazil eat provitamin A-rich cassava. Furthermore, nutrient profiles can be improved through genetic engineering in an agronomically acceptable genetic background. The development of "Golden Rice" and provitamin A-rich dessert bananas and subsequent transfer of this trait into locally adapted cultivars are evident, with no significant change in nutritional profile, except for the trait incorporated. A greater understanding of nutrient transport and absorption may lead to the development of diet therapy for the betterment of human health.

Keywords

bioavailability; bioaccessibility and absorption; biofortified crop cultivars; climate change; genes and genetic markers; genetic engineering; nutrient acquisition; transport and storage

Published in

Frontiers in Plant Science
2023, Volume: 14, article number: 1119148
Publisher: FRONTIERS MEDIA SA

SLU Authors

• Ortiz Rios, Rodomiro Octavio

  • Department of Plant Breeding, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

Sustainable Development Goals

Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts
Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture


UKÄ Subject classification

Agricultural Science
Genetics and Breeding
Food Science


Publication identifier

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2023.1119148

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/121618