Question

Give few examples of biofortified crops. What benefits do they offer to the society?

Answer 1

Biofortification:

Biofortification is the process of enriching the nutritional quality of food crops by the use of conventional plant breeding and modern biotechnological techniques.

Examples of biofortified crops:

• Vitamin A enriched carrots, pumpkin, spinach.
• Vitamin C enriched bitter gourd, bathua, tomato, mustard.
• Golden rice which is enriched with the beta carotene gene that expresses beta carotene which when consumed can be converted to Vitamin A in the human body.

Benefits of biofortified crops:

The society suffers from hidden hunger which is a deficiency of essential nutrients in the diet of the majority of the population. This is due to financial constraints and poor life-style choices such as consumption of junk foods. Biofortified crops are developed to improve the nutritional quality of staple food crops such as grains and vegetables so that their consumption can help to reduce nutrient deficiency in the people living in the society.