a Department of Plant Sciences (Plant Breeding) , University of the Free State , Bloemfontein , South Africa.
b Department of Agronomy , Midlands State University , Gweru , Zimbabwe.
Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2019;59(8):1284-1293. doi: 10.1080/10408398.2017.1402751. Epub 2017 Dec 4.
Micronutrient deficiencies have been identified as major public health problems affecting a large part of the world's population. Biofortification of staple crops like maize has been proposed as one of the most cost effective and feasible approaches to combat micronutrient deficiencies. Studies have shown that provitamin A from biofortified crops is highly bioavailable and has the capacity to improve vitamin A status of vulnerable groups. Most people in sub-Saharan Africa subsist on maize and many people may benefit from consumption of provitamin A carotenoid biofortified maize, especially women and children. With the exception of transgenic golden rice, biofortified crops have received considerable acceptance by most communities. Negative perceptions associated with yellow maize do not affect orange maize, which is, for example, well-liked in rural Zambia. With proper policy frameworks and full commercialization, provitamin A maize can address the problem of vitamin A deficiencies among poor nations with maize-based diets.
微量营养素缺乏已被确定为影响世界上很大一部分人口的主要公共卫生问题。人们提出，对玉米等主食作物进行生物强化是解决微量营养素缺乏问题最具成本效益和可行性的方法之一。研究表明，生物强化作物中的类胡萝卜素前维生素 A 具有很高的生物利用度，能够改善弱势群体的维生素 A 状况。撒哈拉以南非洲的大多数人以玉米为食，许多人可能受益于食用富含类胡萝卜素前维生素 A 的生物强化玉米，尤其是妇女和儿童。除了转基因黄金大米之外，生物强化作物得到了大多数社区的广泛认可。与黄色玉米相关的负面看法不会影响橙色玉米，例如，橙色玉米在赞比亚农村很受欢迎。通过适当的政策框架和全面商业化，富含类胡萝卜素前维生素 A 的玉米可以解决以玉米为主食的贫困国家的维生素 A 缺乏问题。
