Affiliation:
1. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel University of Agriculture and Technology, India
2. Tallin University of Technology, Estonia
Abstract
Hidden hunger is a term often used to describe malnutrition caused due to non/poor availability of minerals in the diet due to deficiency of micronutrients in staple food diet. Biofortification is an important, sustainable, and cost-effective technique of delivering micronutrients to a population that is not able to access diverse diets and other micronutrient interventions. This chapter deals with the aspects of crop biofortification, which includes breeding, agronomy, and genetic modification approaches. Here, the authors summarize the biofortification research that has been conducted on disparate crops. Success stories of biofortification include lysine and tryptophan-rich quality protein maize, Vitamin A-rich rice, Fe- and Zn-rich sorghum and pearl millet, anthocyanin- and β carotene-rich sweet potato, and several other crops for different micronutrients. Besides the challenges, the biofortified crops can fulfill the malnutrition challenge and have a bright future.