Biofortification / Breeding crops with higher levels of vitamins and minerals, or higher protein and healthier fats
Breeding for improved nutritional quality is improving –
(i) Protein content and quality; (ii) Oil content and quality; (iii) Vitamin content; and (iv) Micronutrient and mineral content.
In 2000, maize hybrids that had twice the amount of the amino acids, lysine and tryptophan, compared to existing maize hybrids were developed. /Wheat variety, Atlas 66, having a high protein content, has been used as a donor for improving cultivated wheat. / It has been possible to develop an iron-fortified rice variety containing over five times as much iron as in commonly consumed varieties./ The Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi has also released several vegetable crops that are rich in vitamins and minerals, e.g., vitamin A enriched carrots, spinach, pumpkin; vitamin C enriched bitter gourd, bathua, mustard, tomato; iron and calcium enriched spinach and bathua; and protein enriched beans – broad lablab, French and garden peas.
