Genomics in agriculture and food processing

Micronutrient malnutrition (MNM), which has been described as “hidden hunger,” is caused by insufficient dietary nutrients and is endemic in many parts of the developing world. Key contributing factors to hidden hunger malnutrition include insufficient nutrient levels within staple crops and loss of nutrients during storage and processing of plant-derived foods. Therefore, although a key aim of modern crop biotechnology is to meet rising calorific requirements (Tester and Langridge, 2010), it will also be essential that increased food production is nutritionally optimized, especially in developing countries (Ribaut et al., 2010). Much of the world’s population suffers from malnutrition caused by lack of protein, vitamins, and minerals. Recent advances in genomics have already facilitated progress toward improved food, feed, fiber, fuel, and biomass production (Mittler and Blumwald, 2010). This chapter is focused on the technologies that have allowed these advances and on their future development, as summarized in Figure 2.1.