Advances in Agri-Food Biotechnology

Abstract

Throughout the world, more people suffer from malnutrition than hunger, particularly in developing countries. Some nutrients like iodine, vitamin A, iron, and zinc malnutrition are significant concerns. Biofortification is the most resilient method to improve the nutrient content of the crop plants and is a durable and cost-effective method of introducing genes to overcome the nutrient deficiencies faced by the people in developing countries. Currently, agronomic, conventional, and transgenic biofortification are three common approaches to nutrient biofortification. In this chapter, the significant progress made in transgenic biofortification development, their applicability, and future challenges has been discussed. The transgenic approach has been utilized for the successful development of crops to acquire the nutrients that do not exist naturally. Recently, several reports on the development of transgenic crops to enhance levels of essential micronutrient contents in crops like tomato, sweet potato, potato, beans, cassava, and other vegetable crops have been reported