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Folate biofortification in food crops
Simon Strobbe1, Dominique Van Der Straeten1
1Laboratory of Functional Plant Biology, Department of Biology, Ghent University, K.L. Ledeganckstraat 35, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium.
Current Opinion in Biotechnology
|March 23, 2017
Summary
Biofortification enhances essential folate levels in crops, combating malnutrition and deficiency disorders like anemia. Further research is needed to optimize strategies for staple crops like potato and wheat.
Area of Science:
- Agricultural Science
- Nutritional Science
- Biotechnology
Background:
- Folates are essential vitamins crucial for human health.
- Folate deficiency leads to serious health issues, including birth defects and anemia.
- Biofortification is a key strategy to address folate malnutrition.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the effectiveness of metabolic engineering for crop biofortification.
- To highlight the importance of folate stability in crop products.
- To identify challenges and future directions for folate biofortification in staple crops.
Main Methods:
- Review of metabolic engineering approaches in various crops.
- Analysis of strategies for enhancing folate content and stability.
- Identification of limitations in current biofortification techniques.
Main Results:
- Metabolic engineering has successfully increased folate levels in crops like rice and tomato.
- Folate stability remains a challenge for long-term storage and requires further optimization.
- Current strategies need adaptation for successful biofortification of crops such as potato, wheat, and cassava.
Conclusions:
- Biofortification, through breeding or metabolic engineering, is essential for combating folate deficiency.
- Overcoming hurdles in folate biofortification is critical for global health.
- Optimized biofortification strategies will improve nutritional value of staple crops.
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