The first chapter reviews evidence of the human health impact of wheat
flour fortification and how it is measured and studied.
The chapter explores the benefits to wheat flour fortification, citing
the process's ability to address widespread health problems caused by
nutrient deficiencies, such as iron deficiency and anaemia.
The second chapter examines the biofortification of maize with
Provitamin A carotenoids and its potential in improving micronutrient
intake for the population of food insecure people. The chapter refers to
the Zambia maize biofortification programme as a case study to
demonstrate this.
The third chapter similarly considers the rising threat of micronutrient
malnutrition, but highlights the integral role biofortified legume crops
have in offsetting this. The chapter reviews the genetic variability of
iron and zinc content in many legume crops, and shows how this is being
used to guide breeding efforts through both transgenic approaches and
agronomic management.
The final chapter assesses the problem of vitamin A deficiency in
countries where cassava is considered a key crop and consumed as a main
food source. The chapter reviews the HarvestPlus breeding programme for
increasing the nutrient density of cassava, as well as strategies that
can be implemented to promote the use of pro-vitamin A varieties by
farmers and consumers.
