Zinc biofortification of maize (Zea mays L.): Status and challenges

Zn deficiency is one of the leading health problems in children and women of developing countries. Different interventions could be used to overcome malnutrition, but biofortification is most impactful, convenient, sustainable and acceptable intervention. Maize is one of the major crops grown and consumed in the regions with prevalent Zn malnutrition; therefore, this is suitable target for Zn biofortification. Zn biofortification of maize could be achieved through agronomic and genetic approaches. Discussion of agronomic approaches with genetic approaches is prerequisite because soils in developing countries are deficit of Zn and availability of Zn in soils is mandatory for estimating the genetic responses of maize genotypes through genetic approaches. Seed priming, foliar and soil applications are agronomic tools for biofortification, but solo and combined applications of these treatments have different effects on Zn enrichment. Genetic approaches include the increase of Zn bioavailability or increase of kernel Zn concentration. Zn bioavailability could be increased by reducing the anti‐nutritional factors or by increasing the bioavailability enhancers. Kernel Zn concentration could be improved through hybridization and selections, whereas genetically engineered attempts for improving Zn uptake from soil, loading in xylem, remobilization in grains and sequestration in endosperm can further improve the kernel Zn concentration. Key challenges associated with dissemination of Zn biofortified maize are also under discussion in this draft. Current review emphasized all of above‐mentioned contents to provide roadmap for the development of Zn biofortified maize genotypes to curb the global Zn malnutrition.     

高蛋白营养膨化食品研究

采用现代膨化技术,利用本地廉价植物蛋白资源,对谷物进行营养强化,试制了C_1和B_2 2种高蛋白营养膨化最优食品,其蛋白质含量分别为14.2%与15.7%,PER 值达2.36和2.17.同时还试制了A_2,B_1,A_1和C_2 4个推荐产品,其营养价值均超过了FAO/WHO 规定的标准.     

小麦籽粒钙元素含量的研究进展

Increasing the mineral content is becoming the important research direction and major target for crops breeding in the world. Calcium is an essential mineral element for human health and plays a pivotal role in skeletogenesis and metabolism. It is estimated that about 3.5 billion people was suffered from calcium deficiencies. Calcium deficiency has become a major international problem harming human health. The staple food is an optimal and safe way to mineral supplement. Wheat, one of the main food crops in China and even in the world, is the main source of food for 35%-40% of global population, a main source for human’s calcium intake as well as an important crop of mineral element biofortification. Improving the calcium content in wheat grains through genetic improvement is considered to be the most economical, effective and sustainable measure to solve the calcium deficiency, which has aroused great concern from international scholars. This paper summarized the recent advances in the study of calcium content in wheat grains, mainly including the genetic variation, affecting factors, the relationship with related traits and regulation mechanism of calcium content in grain. Furthermore, we also put forward the direction of future research on calcium-fortified wheat, which provides solutions for accelerating the effective calcium supplementation through staple food, promoting the healthy and nutritious dietary pattern, ensuring the food security to meet the transition from “quantitative” to “qualitative” demands, improving people’s health, and reducing economic losses caused by calcium deficiency.     

Biofortification of common bean as a complementary approach to addressing zinc deficiency in South Africans

Deficiencies of vitamin A, iodine, iron and zinc (Zn) in humans are caused partly by the consumption of food that has insufficient quantities of these. Their deficiency has a negative impact on the health, wellbeing, social and economic status of human beings. A national survey conducted in 2012 identified deficiencies of vitamin A, Fe, and Zn among other nutrients in South Africans and regarded the deficiencies of vitamin A and Fe as a moderate but not Zn. This review discusses causes of Zn prevalence in low-income South Africans and that it is largely caused by the low content of Zn in their diets. Initiatives to reduce Zn deficiency include fortification of wheat products and maize meal which has failed to address it successfully. Weaknesses of fortification include high cost of fortified food products to low-income populations, poor regulation in ensuring compliance in fortification, non-fortification of sorghum meal, and leaching of fortified nutrients during processing. This review suggests Zn-biofortification of locally-preferred common bean cultivars as an alternative strategy to compliment fortification. The review also discusses advantages of adopting biofortified Nutritional Andean common beans. Furthermore, the review suggests initiatives including evaluation of the common bean genotypes’ adaptation to different agro-ecologies.     

Production of Biscuit from Chinese Sturgeon Fish Fillet Powder (Acipeneser sinensis): A Snack Food for Children

ABSTRACT

Malnutrition in children is a current global burden. A common snack for children is biscuits prepared from cereals. However, these types of biscuits have low protein content. Therefore, producing healthier biscuits enriched with essential amino acids (EAAs) and other micronutrients is of great interest to researchers and manufacturers. In this study, biscuits produced from low gluten wheat flour fortified with sturgeon fillet powder (SFP) in various mixing ratios (100:0, 95:5, 93:7, and 90:10, respectively) were investigated. The results revealed that the nutritional and proximate composition of biscuits were significantly (P ≤ 0.05) improved: moisture (6.77 ± 0.06–7.65 ± 0.06), protein (13.23 ± 0.35–17.12 ± 0.02), fat (15.57 ± 0.18–15.85 ± 0.25), ash (0.84 ± 0.07–0.92 ± 0.06), spread ratio (14.0 ± 0.92–14.33 ± 0.21), and hardness (2,057.90 ± 28.33–3,089.02 ± 51.53). Total amino acids were 6.91, 9.34, 10.32, and 10.58; and EAAs were 2.43, 3.97, 4.48, and 4.22 g/100 g for 0%, 5%, 7%, and 10% SFP, respectively. Leucine was the major amino acid with 5% and 10% SFP, while methionine was the major amino acid with 7% SFP. Fungal counts were not observed, and quality indices were below the maximum acceptable limits in the products. Biscuits supplemented with 7% SFP showed the highest sensory evaluation score. Overall, the inclusion of 7% SFP could produce protein enriched cereal-based fortified biscuits with acceptable sensory and quality attributes and ultimately could insure effective fish utilization and solve malnutrition problems.     

Beneficial effects of glycine on growth and leaf nutrient concentrations of coriander (Coriandrum sativum) plants

Abstract

In this study, the effect of glycine amino acid was evaluated on growth characteristics and nutrient uptake of coriander plants under greenhouse conditions. The treatments were soil application of glycine in two concentrations of 300 and 600?mg kg^?1 soil, foliar application of glycine (in 0.05% concentration), soil application of mix NPK fertilizer and no fertilizer control. The growth parameters of plant height, leaf SPAD value, shoot and root fresh weights were significantly improved by soil application of glycine, particularly in higher concentration. Soil application of glycine also reduced the number of flowered plants, while it increased soluble solids (TSS) and vitamin C of plant leaf extracts than control plants. Leaf nutrient concentrations of nitrogen (N), calcium (Ca), potassium (K), phosphorus (P), iron (Fe), and zinc (Zn), but not magnesium (Mg) and manganese (Mn), were significantly increased by soil application of glycine, whereas soil applied NPK significantly increased P and Ca of leaves than unfertilized control plants.     

Iron transport in plants: Future research in view of a plant nutritionist and a molecular biologist

Iron is attractive to plant physiologists since J. Sachs has proven in 1868 the essentiality and the possible leaf uptake of Fe. It lasted about 100 years before the principal processes for Fe mobilization in the rhizosphere were discovered and classified as two distinct strategies for Fe acquisition. During the 80's and 90's of the last century the uptake of Fe²⁺ and Fe^III-phytosiderophores by specific transporters in strategy I- and strategy II-plants, respectively, were postulated without any application of the new approaching molecular techniques. In the following decade, the various transporters for Fe uptake by roots, such as AtIRT1 in Arabidopsis or ZmYS1 in maize and their possible regulation were characterized. In the following years with fast developing molecular approaches further Fe trans ortsrs were genetically described with often only vague physiological functions. In view of a plant nutritionist, besides uptake processes by roots, the following transport processes within the respective target tissue have to be considered by molecular biologists in more detail: 1) radial transfer of Fe from the root cortex through the endodermis, 2) xylem loading in roots, 3) transfer of Fe from xylem to phloem via transfer cells, 4) phloem loading with Fe in source leaves and retranslocation to sink organs, and 5) remobilization and retranslocation via the phloem during senescence of perennial plants. The importance of these various specific transport processes for a well-regulated Fe homeostasis in plants and new strategies to identify and characterize proteins involved in Fe transport and homeostasis will be discussed.     

Preserving Indiana's Agricultural History

ABSTRACT

Maize gruel was prepared by traditional and improved methods. Improved maize gruel (IMGF) took less time (24 hours) than traditional maize gruel (TMGF) (72 hours) to prepare. TMGF was lower in protein (6.7%) than IMGF (11.4%). A higher yield was observed for IMGF (99.4%) than for TMGF (60%). IMGF substituted with okra meal flour at 40% yielded the highest protein (21.9%), fat (13.08%), crude fibre (9.04%), and ash (2.60%). Higher amylograph peak viscosity was noted for TMGF as compared to other ogi (maize gruel) samples.

Sensory scores indicate that none of the samples were rejected, although lower scores were given to fortified ogi samples as the level of fortification was increased. The improvement in the nutritional attributes of maize gruel samples will reduce the problem of protein malnutrition.     

山东民房抗震设防问题探讨

随着农村经济水平和生活水平的提高,农村新建农房呈现出高、大、空的特点,本文针对这一特点,在调查研究的基础上,按《建筑抗震设计规范》(文中简称抗震规范)(GB50011—2001)对新建民宅存在的抗震能力差等问题进行了研究,并提出了改进的措施,以期提高农村住宅的抗震防灾水平。     

Productivity of Sargassum linearifolium in potassium fortified inland saline water under laboratory conditions

Growing aquatic species in inland saline water (ISW) is one way to reduce the adverse impact of ISW to agriculture farms. This 84‐day laboratory‐trial was conducted to study the growth of Sargassum linearifolium cultured in ocean water (OW), ISW, ISW fortified with potassium equivalent to 100% (ISW100), 66% (ISW66) and 33% (ISW33) of potassium in OW at 35 g/L. The biomass and cumulative specific growth rate (SGR) of S. linearifolium increased significantly (p < .05) with increased potassium in ISW until 56 days and then declined. The ISW100 and OW resulted in similar growth patterns and yielded peak biomass at day 42, proving static biomass for the next 28 days before declining. The biomass of S. linearifolium cultured in ISW and ISW33 significantly (p < .05) decreased and was lower than in ISW100 and died after day 56. The SGR of S. linearifolium in OW, ISW100 and ISW66 levelled off and showed no difference during the first 56 days. The S. linearifolium biomass and SGR negatively and significantly (p < .05) correlated with the concentrations of nitrate, phosphate in all waters. The increased potassium concentration in ISW similar to its concentration in SW brought the growth of S. linearifolium cultured to a level that was similar in OW.