Nutritionally enhanced sorghum for the arid and semiarid tropical areas of Africa

Abstract

To help alleviate malnutrition in Africa, nutritionally enhanced sorghum was developed through genetic transformation to increase pro-vitamin A (β-carotene) accumulation and stability, to improve iron and zinc bioavailability, and to improve protein digestibility. Through many years of efforts, significant achievements have been made for these goals. We generated nutritionally enhanced sorghum lines with enhanced and stabilized pro-vitamin A that provide 20–90% of the Estimated Average Requirement (EAR) for children under age 3, lines with a 90% reduction in phytate that increase iron and zinc bioavailability and provide 40–80% of the EAR for iron and zinc, and lines that show no reduction in protein digestibility after cooking compared with normal levels. Once these nutritionally enhanced sorghum lines have undergone biosafety examination and have been deregulated, they will be ready for incorporation into sorghum varieties that will benefit Africa and other areas that rely upon sorghum as a staple food.