Nutritional Improvement of Food Crops Gerard Barry International Rice Research Institute, The Philippines IMPROVING FOOD PLANT DEVELOPMENT FOR BETTER FOODS Organized by the International Food Biotechnology Committee (IFBiC) Tuesday, 22 January 2013, 2:00 pm 5:30 pm
Outline The need: micronutrient deficiencies How to tackle through agriculture/food? Why focus on rice? 2
Global Zinc Micronutrient Deficiency (World Health Organization) Vitamin A Iron
Health outcomes of micronutrient deficiencies for different groups Target group Iron deficiency Zinc deficiency Vitamin A deficiency Children Impaired physical ability Impaired mental development Child mortality (related to maternal deaths) Women Impaired physical activity Maternal mortality Diarrhea Pneumonia Stunting Child mortality Child mortality Measles Night blindness Corneal scarring Blindness Night blindness in pregnant and lactating women Men Impaired physical activity Source: Stein et al. (2005)
Supplementation Commercial Fortification Dietary Diversity Biofortification = breeding crops for better nutrition
#1 Breeding must increase nutrient to levels that improve nutrition Photo: Wolfgang Pfeiffer
#2 Will extra nutrients be bioavailable at sufficient levels to improve micronutrient status?
Photos: Neil Palmer (CIAT) #3 Farmers must adopt crops and consumers must buy & eat these.
One Crop Released... 2007-092 Orange Sweet Potato (OSP) Beta-carotene for Vitamin A Mozambique Uganda 24,000 Households (HHs) reached Up to 68% of project HHs adopted OSP. Up to 47% increase in share of OSP in total sweet potato area. Up to a 100% increase in vitamin A intakes for infants, children and women.
Impact on vitamin A intakes
Crops for Africa & Release Dates 20112 2012 2012 Cassava Provitamin A Nigeria DR Congo Beans Iron (Zinc) Rwanda DR Congo Maize Provitamin A Zambia Crops are high-yielding and with other traits farmers want.
Crops for Asia & Release Dates 20122 20132 20132 Pearl Millet Iron (Zinc) India Rice Zinc (Iron) Bangladesh India Wheat Zinc India Pakistan Crops are high-yielding and with other traits farmers want.
Reducing Vitamin A Deficiency Nutrition education & behavior change Home Fortification Large-scale Fortification Dietary Diversification Promotion of Optimal Breastfeeding Vitamin A Capsule Supplementation 13
The need for additional tools to address vitamin A deficiency Vitamin A deficiency continues to adversely affect many, especially the last 10-20% of young children in the hardest-to-reach areas. The most vulnerable children and women are often missed by vitamin A supplementation and fortification programs. Helen Keller International 14
Complementary strategies to reduce vitamin A deficiency Supplementation Food fortification Population Protected Dietary improvement Time Monitoring vitamin A programs. Cervinskas, Jenny and Houston, Robin. Micronutrient Initiative, 1998
Why focus on rice? 16
Rice consumption by the Philippine population Mean wt/person/day = 307g Rice Intake - Philippines (2008) Population group and ages Raw; g Children 6 mo to 5 yr 100 6 yr to 12 yr 229 Adolescents 13 yr to 19 yr 335 Adults 20 yr - 59 yr 332 60 yr+ 248 Women pregnant 287 lactating 342 2008 National Nutrition Survey, Philippines
Rank List of commonly consumed foods: Philippines (National Nutrition Survey, 2008) Food Item % of Households Mean wt, as purchased consuming (raw), in gs 1 Rice 94.7 307 2 Sugar 81.1 12 3 Coconut oil 70.5 10 4 Salt, coarse 64.9 3 5 Instant coffee 62.5 1 6 Garlic 41.4 2 7 Bread 38.3 11 8 Onion 37.8 3 9 Chicken eggs 36.4 13 10 Soysauce 30.8 3 11 Coffee creamer 24.8 1 12 Tomato 24.1 5 13 Powdered milk 20.6 2 14 Stringbeans 20.5 10 15 Noodles 20.5 3 18
A staple rice diet and micronutrient malnutrition 160 Rice based diet % RECOMMENDED INTAKE 140 120 100 80 60 40 20 0 From: Oyarzun et al. 2001 Vit A Vit C Folate Fe Zn Slide courtesy of Ricardo Uauy 19
Percentage contribution of rice to the Recommended Energy and Nutrient Intakes among Philippine households. RENI Recommended Amount Contribution RENI Recommended Amount Contribution Energy 1827 kcal 57.9% Protein 57.1g 39.1% Fats 36g 4.5% Carbohydrates 328g 74.3% Iron 9.7mg 31.9% Calcium 0.42g 19.4% Thiamin 0.85mg 36.2% Riboflavin 0.73mg 20.7% Niacin 21.3mg 45.1% Ascorbic Acid 47.1mg 0% Vitamin A 451.6meq 0% National Nutrition Survey, 2008. 20
The Philippines Diet and Meeting the Recommended Intakes for Vitamin A and Iron Adapted from Table D, B18 23, Facts and Figures 2008, Food and Nutrition Research Institute, Dec. 2010. Group Intake (ug RE) Vitamin A % meeting 80% RENI Nutrient Intake (mg) Iron % meeting 80% RENI Adults; 20 to 69 yrs 499.6 18.8 9.4 26.1 Pregnant women; <19 - >36 yrs Lactating women; <19 - >36 yrs 493.3 10.4 9.7 1.4 455.4 7.5 9.1 1.5 Children; 6 mos - 5 yrs 303.8 26.0 5.2 25.2 School age (6-12 yrs) 288.5 19.6 7 17.7 Adolescents; (13 19 yrs) 405.2 16.0 9 12.3 Elderly; >60 yrs 379.9 13.3 7.5 22.4
Healthier Rice Varieties projects at the International Rice Research Institute Countries: Philippines, Indonesia, Bangladesh, and India Higher beta carotene (Golden Rice): Current level: ~ 0 ppm Target level: 6-8 ppm = +50 % of the estimated average requirement Higher Iron Rice: Current level: 2 ppm Target level: 12-14 ppm = +30 % of the estimated average requirement Higher Zinc Rice: Current level: 16 ppm Target level: 24 ppm = +40 % of the estimated average requirement
What is Golden Rice? Golden Rice is unique because it contains beta carotene, which gives it a golden color. Golden Rice was developed using genetic modification techniques, with genes from maize and common soil microorganism. Beta carotene is converted to vitamin A as needed by the body. 23
The current project Leading nutrition and agricultural research organizations are working together to further develop and evaluate Golden Rice as a potential new way to reduce vitamin A deficiency. Because rice is consumed so widely, Golden Rice could reach many people and help alleviate vitamin A deficiency. 24
Potential Contribution of Golden Rice to Vitamin A intake in Philippines
Vitamin A needs and rice consumption of the Philippine population Recommended Intakes (RENI, 2002) Population group and ages Vitamin A (mg Retinol Equivalents; RE) Infants Birth - < 6 mo 375 6 mo - < 12 mo 400 Children 1 9 y 400 10 12 400 Males 13 15 550 16 18 600 19 65+ 550 10 12 400 Females 13 18 450 19 65+ 500 Pregnant women all trimesters 800 Lactating women 1st and 2nd 6 mo 900 Rice Intake - Philippines (2008) Population group and ages Raw; g Children 6 mo to 5 yr 100 6 yr to 12 yr 229 Adolescents 13 yr to 19 yr 335 Adults Women 20 yr - 59 yr 332 60 yr+ 248 pregnant 287 lactating 342 2008 National Nutrition Survey, Philippines
Factors used Golden Rice is expected to contain at least 3μg β-carotene per gram of uncooked rice (i.e. 3 parts per million) Loss of β-carotene in cooking: 20% Conversion factor used: Children 6 mo 12 years: 2.3 β-carotene to 1 retinol Population groups > 12 years: 3.8 β-carotene to 1 retinol AJCN, 2009 and 2012
Potential Contribution of Golden Rice to Vitamin A intake in Philippines (at 3ppm) Population Group Children 6 mo 5 y 6 y 12 y Adolescents (13-19 y) Female Male Adults 20 59 y 60 y + RENI 400 400 450 575 550 550 Rice Consumption (uncooked) 100 229 335 335 332 248 Total β- carotene, (cooked rice) 240 550 804 804 797 595 Vitamin A activity 104.3 239.0 211.6 211.6 209.7 156.6 % Contribution to RENI 26.1 59.7 47.0 36.8 38.1 28.5 Pregnant women 800 287 689 181.3 22.7 Lactating women 900 342 820 215.8 24.0 A. Osei HKI and G. Barry IRRI, unpublished
Golden Rice: Highlights Participating organizations: International Rice Research Institute, Philippine Rice Research Institute, Helen Keller International Multilocation trials completed in the Philippines to produce the data for biosafety review Regulatory dossier under preparation; submission in 2013 Bioefficacy trial planned if biosafety approval obtained Advanced surveys on farmers, consumers, and key influencers being used to guide the development plan
Nutritionally improved rice in confined field test (CFT) 2012 (IRRI) Micronutrient concentration in popular indica rice IR64 with rice NAS and Soybean FER transgenes 12-15 ppm Iron >50 ppm Zinc Inez Slamet-Loedin, IRRI
Financial support Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Rockefeller Foundation U.S. Agency for International Development Department of Agriculture Philippines HarvestPlus 31
Thank you! www.irri.org/goldenrice www.harvestplus.org 32