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Protein and amino acid biofortification of staple crops has potential to reduce population risk of protein inadequacy in Sub‐Saharan Africa
Author(s) -
Suri Devika,
Strutt Nicholas,
Ghosh Shibani
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.26.1_supplement.636.15
Subject(s) - biofortification , staple food , protein quality , crop , agriculture , microbiology and biotechnology , population , sorghum , agronomy , biology , food science , environmental health , micronutrient , chemistry , medicine , ecology , organic chemistry
Populations dependent on starchy staple crops are at risk of protein inadequacy. Biofortification can improve nutritional quality of food crops. This study examined potential of protein and amino acid biofortified staple crops to reduce risk of protein inadequacy in six Sub‐Saharan African and South Asian countries. Methods FAO food balance sheets and USDA nutrient data were used to determine mean per capita nutrient supply and estimate population risk of protein inadequacy (PRPI), adjusting for protein quality using the PDCAAS method. We modeled increases in protein/amino acids of six crops to improve total protein/protein quality. PRPI was calculated using 2005 food supply, with 60% substitution of domestically produced crop with biofortified crop. Results Biofortified crops reduced PRPI from: 77% to 54% in Mozambique (maize); 21% to 14% in Nigeria (sorghum); 18% to 12% in Uganda (plantain); 44% to 23% in Zambia (cassava). PRPI in Bangladesh (41%) and India (31%) did not improve with biofortified rice and wheat indicating deficit of total protein rather than poor protein quality at the food supply level. Conclusion Protein/amino acid biofortification of starchy staple crops has the potential to reduce PRPI in populations with low protein quality in their overall food supply. Further work will investigate effect of biofortified crops on protein inadequacy at an individual level.