Knowledge Center Catalog

Biofortified maize - a genetic avenue for nutritional security

By: Contributor(s): Material type: TextTextPublication details: Chichester, UK John Wiley and Sons Ltd : 2014Description: p. 161-176ISBN:
  • 9780470962916 (Print) 9781118728482 (Online)
Subject(s): Summary: This chapter reviews the biochemical characteristics of normal grain maize, its nutritional deficiencies, with special reference to imbalanced amino acid composition in the endosperm, low carotenoid and high phytic acid content, and various scientific approaches to ?biofortify? maize grain. Quality protein maize (QPM) represents an excellent technological intervention, which contains twice the amount of lysine and tryptophan as normal maize. The recent discovery of two key genes influencing grain carotenoid composition has enabled increasing the beta carotene content of yellow maize two- to tenfold in the tropical germplasm. A number of scientific advances have been made in understanding the phytate metabolic pathway in maize, which appears promising for product development in the future. The biofortification objectives in maize are likely to evolve further as new targets such as antioxidant and prebiotic content and bioavailability emerge relevant to the target sub-populations.
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Item type Current library Collection Call number Status Date due Barcode Item holds
Reprint CIMMYT Knowledge Center: John Woolston Library CIMMYT Staff Publications Collection CIS-7601 (Browse shelf(Opens below)) Available
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This chapter reviews the biochemical characteristics of normal grain maize, its nutritional deficiencies, with special reference to imbalanced amino acid composition in the endosperm, low carotenoid and high phytic acid content, and various scientific approaches to ?biofortify? maize grain. Quality protein maize (QPM) represents an excellent technological intervention, which contains twice the amount of lysine and tryptophan as normal maize. The recent discovery of two key genes influencing grain carotenoid composition has enabled increasing the beta carotene content of yellow maize two- to tenfold in the tropical germplasm. A number of scientific advances have been made in understanding the phytate metabolic pathway in maize, which appears promising for product development in the future. The biofortification objectives in maize are likely to evolve further as new targets such as antioxidant and prebiotic content and bioavailability emerge relevant to the target sub-populations.

Global Maize Program

English

Lucia Segura

INT2925|INT2691|INT3057

CIMMYT Staff Publications Collection


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