Vitamin, Protein and Essential Mineral Enhancement of Cereal Crops for Food Security

Recent estimates indicate that more than half of the world's population suffers from diseases caused by dietary defi ciencies and inadequate supplies of essential micronutrients. This situation is exacerbated by the

Recent estimates indicate that more than half of the world＇s population suffers from diseases caused by dietary deficiencies and inadequate supplies of essential micronutrients. This situation is exacerbated by the fact that in the developing world alone 840 million people are chronically undernourished. The underlying reasons for this are complex and have to do more with poverty than availability of food per se. The cereal endosperm serves as a major source of nutritional calories worldwide. However, maize, wheat and rice endosperm is deficient in essential vitamins （A, E, C and folate）, amino acids （lysine and methionine） and minerals （iron, selenium and zinc）. The cloning of a near complete set of genes for the biosynthesis of vitamins, key essential amino acids, and for the absorption and bioavailability of Fe, Se and Zn, combined with our ability to introduce multiple transgenes into cereal crops through co-transformation, makes it possible to simultaneously enhance all such micronutrients in agriculturally important cereal crops. We will describe the status of our laboratory＇s activities and our on-going research towards the coordinated enhancement of these nutrients, in cereal endosperm.