Transgenic Crops for Biofortification

Abstract

Global food security concerns impact greatly on the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals, which are heavily focused on eradicating hunger by 2030. The Global Food Security Index of 2019 has reported that 88% of countries claim their is enough food supply in their countries, but it is a dreadful reality that every one in three countries is facing insufficient availability of food supply as per the index, meaning more than 10% of the population is malnourished. Since nutrition is one of the main factors in maintaining a healthy lifestyle and meeting the requirements of food security, several national nutrition surveys conducted in various countries have provided an avenue for governments to assess malnutrition problems across the population. For example, the National Nutrition Survey carried out in 2011 in Pakistan indicated that more than 50% of the population was food insecure based on the nutritional status of available food. This survey also highlighted the acute deficiency of micronutrients in the diet resulting in several disorders, especially among the female population. In view of these facts, efforts are being made globally to enhance the nutritional value of our agricultural products, especially staple crops, by using several biotechnological approaches.

Biofortification of Cereals and Pulses Using New Breeding Techniques: Current and Future Perspectives

“…About onethird of the population is suffering from "hidden hunger." They lack either one or all of the essential micro-or macronutrients (Box 1), like Zn, Fe, selenium, iodine, folic acid, lysine, vitamin A, vitamin B12, vitamin C, vitamin D, and others (Table 1), in their diets (12,33). These vitamins and nutrients are inevitable for the growth, development, and proper functioning of the human body.…”

“…Transgenic crops (Box 1) are constituted when limited genetic variability is present in the gene pool and wild relatives. Transgenic breeding helps in biofortification through the introduction of genes that either decrease anti-nutrient compounds or increase micronutrients accumulation and bioavailability (Figure 1) (12). Detailed discussion about transgenic cereals and pulses developed for micro-and macronutrients (like vitamins, fatty acids, minerals, and amino acids) biofortification is summarized below.…”

“…Therefore, a modern weapon against mineral deficiency involved transferring the genes directly in elite genotypes. Transgenic crops employed the genetic engineering tools for genotype improvement in focused metabolic pathways of the plant to improve and modify carbohydrates, fats, proteins, minerals, vitamins, and other secondary metabolites (12). These transgenes targeted redistribution of micronutrients between tissues, enhanced the efficiency of a biochemical pathway, increased bioavailability, reduced anti-nutrient absorption and multigene transfer (corn with a high concentration of beta-carotene, ascorbate, and folate in a multivitamin plant) with the reconstruction of selected pathways (field of system biology) (12).…”

“…Transgenic crops employed the genetic engineering tools for genotype improvement in focused metabolic pathways of the plant to improve and modify carbohydrates, fats, proteins, minerals, vitamins, and other secondary metabolites (12). These transgenes targeted redistribution of micronutrients between tissues, enhanced the efficiency of a biochemical pathway, increased bioavailability, reduced anti-nutrient absorption and multigene transfer (corn with a high concentration of beta-carotene, ascorbate, and folate in a multivitamin plant) with the reconstruction of selected pathways (field of system biology) (12). With the advent of various "Omics" technologies, different CRISPRbased gene-editing tools including CRISPR-Cas9/13 (Box 1) and transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs) (Box 1) as well as availability of sequence genome of multiple species opened new horizons for crop biofortification (13,14).…”

Utilizing Plant Synthetic Biology to Improve Human Health and Wellness

“…Beyond the macromolecular necessities of food, an even greater portion of the world experiences micronutrient deficiencies—termed “hidden hunger”– especially in regard to vitamin A, iodine, zinc, and iron ( Muthayya et al, 2013 ). A recent review ( Malik and Maqbool, 2020 ) has an in-depth analysis of the types of deficiencies as well as some strategies that have been used to biofortify crops. The production of palatable crops that provide adequate amounts of macro- and micronutrients that can grow in diverse biomes is one of the cheapest and most practical ways to ameliorate malnutrition ( Matsuura et al, 2018 ).…”