Journal of Innovative Agriculture, Volume 8, Issue 1 : 11-18. Doi : 10.37446/jinagri/ra/8.1.2021.11-18
Review Article

OPEN ACCESS | Published on : 31-Mar-2021

Nutritional quality of pro-vitamin A, biofortified maize

  • Mamud Aman
  • Maize Breeder, Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research, Hawassa maize research Program, P.O.Box: 1793, Hawassa, Ethiopia.

Abstract

Vitamin A  deficiency  (VAD)  which  is  caused  by  a  chronic  inadequate  dietary  intake  of vitamin A is a major public health problem in many developing  countries. In SSA countries, VAD continues to be a serious public health problem despite implemented strategies to alleviate VAD.  Provitamin  A bio fortified  maize,  which  has  been  developed  through  plant breeding, has the potential to act  as  an  additional  strategy  to  eliminate  VAD. The feasibility of using provitamin A biofortified maize to alleviate VAD is critically dependent on consumer acceptance of the provitamin A biofortified maize. Generally, biofortification is used to influence the  nutritional  composition  of  the  provitamin  A-biofortified  maize  grain  varieties,  including carotenoid composition. Thus, in terms of grain quality and  nutritional  composition, provitamin  A-biofortified  maize  varieties  would  be,  overall,  a  better  food  source  than  the normal  white  maize. Biofortification can be achieved through conventional selective breeding or through genetic engineering or molecular breeding. It could help to identify the traits that the breeders need to focus on, in order to make the biofortified maize more acceptable.

Keywords

maize, provitamin A, biofortification, vitamin A deficiency

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