Biofortification

Cassava with increased beta-carotene content (right)

Biofortification is the enrichment of the nutritional content of food through plant breeding . Important goals are to increase the content of minerals ( iron , zinc and calcium ), essential fatty acids , essential amino acids , vitamins ( vitamin A , vitamin B9 and vitamin E ), lycopene , antioxidants and anthocyanins . Biofortification can be achieved with classic breeding methods or with green genetic engineering .

In 2016, the World Food Prize was awarded to three employees of the Centro Internacional de la Papa and the founder of HarvestPlus at the International Food Policy Research Institute , who cultivated vegetables or cereals enriched with beta-carotene, zinc or iron through biofortification or brought them to the market.

literature

• Kendal D. Hirschi: Nutrient Biofortification of Food Crops. (PDF; 321 kB). In: Annual Review of Nutrition. 29, 2009, pp. 401-421.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ 2016 World Food Prize Laureates . The World Food Prize Foundation. Archived from the original on October 6, 2016. Retrieved January 28, 2019.