Biofortification refers to micronutrient enrichment of staple crops through plant breeding, to address the negative economic and health consequences of vitamin and mineral deficiencies in humans. It is the process of increasing the bioavailable micronutrient density of staple crops through conventional plant breeding and modern biotechnology to achieve a measurable and positive impact on human health.. Currently, agronomic, conventional, and transgenic biofortification are three common approaches. Progress has been made in breeding orange sweetpotato, provitamin A maize, provitamin A cassava, high zinc rice and high zinc wheat, and high iron beans and high iron pearl millet via conventional breeding. Transgenic biofortification is used when genetic variability for vitamin and mineral targets is too low to meet the desired target levels, or for crops that are very difficult to breed, such as banana. The biofortification of cassava with Provitamin A (beta-carotene) was achieved through pure line and hybrid seed technology as well as genetic engineering. The provitamin A carotenoid in biofortified cassava is primarily β-carotene. In white cassava, there may be trace amounts of β-carotene, which may be present in concentrations as low as 1 mg/g fresh weigh or 3 mg/g dry weigh. Due to the instability of beta-carotene, cooking and processing methods can affect the retention of β-carotene in cassava leading to decrease bioavailability and bioefficacy.

1. Biofortification of Staple Crops :
Pro-vitamin A Cassava as a case
study.
A Seminar (BCM 417) Presented
By
ONYIBA, Cosmos Ifeanyi
MOUAU/10/15593
Department of Biochemistry
College of Natural Sciences (COLNAS)
Micheal Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike
July, 2014
cosmos_onyiba@yahoo.com
+2348062633518

2. Outline
 Introduction
 The concept of Biofortification
 Latest Biofortified crops on market
 Methods of Biofortification
 Conventional breeding of Provitamin A cassava
 Genetic Modification/Trangenic Provitamin A cassava development
 Integration of genetic modification and conventional breeding
 Conventional Breeding versus Genetic Modification
 Biochemical Relevance of Provitamin A cassava
 Conclusion

3.  Deficiencies in vitamins and minerals in our diets causes malnutrition and is popularly
known as “hidden hunger”. Conventional responses (such as diet diversification,
supplementation, fortification of manufactured foods) have had limited impact
 Vitamin A and zinc deficiencies are estimated to cause 600,000 and 400,000 deaths
annually, respectively (Black et al., 2008)
 Cassava contains little zinc, iron, and β-carotene, yet it is the primary staple crop of over
250 million Africans thus, Children Consuming Cassava as a Staple Food are at risk for
Inadequate Zinc, Iron, and Vitamin A Intake (Gegios et al., 2010)
 Biofortifying staple crops (such as cassava) that feed the world's poor can
significantly improve the amount of these nutrients consumed by target populations
(Welch et al., 2004).
Introduction

4. The Concept of Biofortification
 Greek word “bios” means “life”
 Latin word “fortificare” means “make strong”
• Rice
• Wheat
• Maize
• Cassava
• Sweet Potato
• Beans
• Millet
• Yam
• Potato
• Barley
• Cowpeas
• Groundnuts
• Lentils
• Plantain
• Sorghum
• Pigeon Peas

5. Latest Biofortified Crops in the market
2007
2011
Cassava
Provitamin A
DR Congo, Nigeria
2012
Beans
Iron
DR Congo, Rwanda
2012
Maize
Provitamin A
Zambia,
Nigeria*
Sweet Potato
Provitamin A
Mozambique,
Uganda
2013
Rice
Zinc
Bangladesh,
India
2013
Wheat
Zinc
India, Pakistan
2012
Pearl Millet
Iron
India

6. Methods of Biofortification
Biofortification
Fertilizer application
Conventional breeding
Genetic modification

7. Conventional breeding
Conventional Development of Provitamin A Cassava
“The use of biotechnological tools, such as molecular marker-assisted selection,
will significantly increase the pace and prospects of success for breeding
to improve the nutritional value of staple food crops” Gregorio 2002

8. Genetic modification
Engineering the beta-carotene pathway in cassava

9. Genetic Modification
Trangenic Provitamin A development procedures
Nucleic acid
extraction
Gene cloning
Gene Design
and Packaging
Detection of
Inserted Genes
Backcross Breeding
(if needed)
Polymerase
chain reaction

10. Integration of Genetic Modification and Conventional Breeding

11. Conventional Breeding vs. Genetic Modification
Biofortified Crops

12. Biochemical relevance of Pro-vitamin A cassava
(intestinal conversion, absorption and transport)

13. Biochemical relevance of Pro-vitamin A cassava
(metabolism)

14. Biofortification has the potential to complement the existing
micronutrient interventions, in particular by targeting the rural poor
who eat large quantities of staple crops and often have little access
to commercially processed food – i.e. among whom the impact of
industrial fortification is limited (Tanumihardjo et al. 2008)
Biofortification of cassava with the provitamin A carotenoid beta-
carotene is a potential mechanism for alleviating vitamin A
deficiences
Conclusion

15. Onyiba Cosmos I.
cosmos_onyiba@yahoo.com,
+2348062633518