ABSTRACT
Due to zinc’s (ZN) manifold involvement with the human body, its deficiency affects a wide range of biochemical and physiological functions, such as growth, reproduction, immune responses, and neurobehavioral development; and it may lead to underweight, delayed skeletal and sexual maturity, dermatitis, persistent diarrhoea, chronic nonhealing leg ulcers, recurrent infections, as well as mental handicaps. Biofortification can be achieved in two distinct ways: increase the enrichment of bioavailable micronutrients in the plant parts to be consumed through breeding or genetic engineering and enhance the total accumulation of the deficient micronutrients through agricultural methods of crop cultivation, in particular fertilization. A new strategy for combating hidden hunger, that is, micronutrient malnutrition, is to fortify plant-based food through increasing the accumulation and bioavailability of micronutrients in edible parts of crop plants. Although increasing the bioavailability of Zn in food is a desirable effect in fighting Zn deficiency in human nutrition, reducing the concentration of phytate in food.
