The contribution of provitamin A biofortified cassava to vitamin A intake in Nigerian pre-schoolchildren

Abstract

Background: Biofortified yellow cassava has been developed to alleviate vitamin A deficiency. We examined the potential contribution of yellow cassava to total Retinol Activity Equivalent (RAE) intake if replacing white by yellow cassava among pre-school Nigerian children. Methods: Dietary intake was assessed as part of a randomized controlled trial. Preschool children (n=176) were randomly assigned to receive either white cassava (WC) or yellow cassava (YC) for 17 weeks. Dietary intake assessments were conducted during the intervention and one month after, when children had resumed their habitual diet. Differences in RAE intake between groups and time points were compared using a linear mixed model regression analysis. Results: During intervention, median RAE intake was 536 µg/day in the YC group and 301 µg/day in the WC group (p<0.0001). YC contributed ˜40% to total RAE intake. Nine percent of children in the YC versus 29% in the WC groups had RAE intake below the Estimated Average Requirement. After intervention, median RAE intake was 300 µg/day and did not differ between intervention groups (p=0.5). The interaction effect of group and time showed a 37% decrease in RAE intake in the YC group after the intervention (Exp(β) = 0.63 [95% CI 0.56, 0.72]). If WC was replaced by YC after intervention, the potential contribution of YC to total RAE intake was estimated to be ˜32%. Conclusions: Yellow cassava increased total RAE intake and showed a substantially lower inadequacy of intake. It is therefore recommended as a good source of provitamin A in cassava-consuming regions.

Marketing Capabilities, Market Orientation and Food Security of Biofortified Cassava Producers in Nigeria

“…Due to this, emphasis is being placed on the consumption of functional foods or "superfoods". Unfortunately, the conventional white-fleshed cassava is not rich in pro-vitamin A which is one of the target nutrients for addressing the double burden of malnutrition (Afolami et al 2021). Therefore, cassava has been biofortified through conventional cross-breeding.…”

Transforming Nigerian Food Systems Through Their Backbones: Lessons From a Decade of Staple Crop Biofortification Programing

“…[18][19][20][21] In terms of its impact on human health, VAC was found to contain enough vitamin A to contribute to improved nutritional status and reduce vitamin A deficiency 22,23 and efficacy studies conducted in Kenya with school-age children (5-13 years old) and in Nigeria with preschool children (3-5 years old) both showed that eating VAC increases children's vitamin A intake and status within 18 (Kenya) weeks of regular consumption. [24][25][26] Consumers' acceptance (liking) of food made with biofortified crops is another important prerequisite for the effectiveness of biofortification programs. To assess consumer acceptance of food made with VAC, a study conducted in rural areas of Oyo and Imo states of Nigeria found that regardless of the color of the commonly consumed local gari (cassava flour), consumers liked gari made with VAC varieties albeit in varying degrees depending on the color difference between local and VAC gari.…”

“…In terms of its impact on human health, VAC was found to contain enough vitamin A to contribute to improved nutritional status and reduce vitamin A deficiency 22,23 and efficacy studies conducted in Kenya with school-age children (5-13 years old) and in Nigeria with preschool children (3-5 years old) both showed that eating VAC increases children’s vitamin A intake and status within 18 (Kenya) weeks of regular consumption. 24 -26…”

Awareness, perception and constraints to consumption of pro-vitamin a cassava foods among women of reproductive age in Ikire, Nigeria

“…Also, studies have reported increasing uptake and willingness to cultivate provitamin A cassava among farmers across the country, particularly women farmers (Oparinde et al, 2014;Effiong et al, 2015;Yusuf et al, 2020). In addition, efficacy studies conducted in Nigeria showed improvement in the vitamin A intake and the overall vitamin A status of children following consumption of provitamin A biofortified cassava (Onyeneke et al, 2020;Afolami et al, 2021a;Afolami et al, 2021b). Nevertheless, the recent Nigeria's National Food Consumption and Micronutrient Survey showed that only 3.20% of Nigerians consumed provitamin A cassava or any products made from it (FGN/IITA, 2022).…”