|
Abstract
|
Biofortification of staple food crops is an economical and practical way to mitigate micronutrient malnutrition as it predis-
poses humans to different health maladies. Despite the availability of various methods for biofortification, the biofortified
crops, especially millets, could offer a great scope. Foxtail millet has adequate content of minerals, non-starchy polysac-
charides, vital amino acids, and proteins, and is regarded as one of the most important nutri-cereals. However, biofortified
foxtail millet can potentially alleviate the micronutrient deficiency. Genetic modification to improve the micronutrient
content through the available zinc and iron-regulated transporters in foxtail millet can be useful to fine tune the enrichment
of micronutrients. The availability of well annotated foxtail millet genome sequence information can facilitate gene min-
ing, transcripts and proteins related to nutritional quality. Combining the insights gained from proteomics, transcriptomics,
genomics, and metabolomics might help foxtail millet to become a model system. This article describes the different
aspects of biofortification in foxtail millet as the biofortified crop for the present and future.
|