PMID: 16619744Apr 20, 2006Paper

Opportunities for nutritionally enhanced maize and wheat varieties to combat protein and micronutrient malnutrition

Food and Nutrition Bulletin
David Hoisington

Abstract

Naturally occurring variation detected in the germplasm of maize and wheat, two of the top three cereal crops in the world, provides options for incorporating higher levels of iron, zinc, and beta-carotene into these grains. In addition, quality protein maize (QPM) has been developed from naturally occurring variation; its seed contains enhanced levels of lysine and tryptophan, two essential amino acids lacking in cereals. The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center, along with its many partners, has identified several maize and wheat varieties with 25% to 30% higher grain iron and zinc concentrations. Wild relatives of wheat have been found to contain some of the highest iron and zinc concentrations in the grains. Although these accessions are often low yielding and have poor grain quality, backcrossing to bread wheat could result in highly nutritious cultivars. Options are now available for conventional and biotechnology-assisted improvement of the nutritional content of maize and wheat germplasm.

References

Mar 12, 2004·Annual Review of Plant Physiology and Plant Molecular Biology·F. X. Cunningham, E. Gantt

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Citations

Mar 27, 2010·Annals of Botany·Jorge F PereiraPeter R Ryan
Jan 16, 2014·Journal of Food Science and Technology·A Rajasekaran, M Kalaivani

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