Metabolic Engineering of Water-Soluble Vitamins in Plants for Enhanced Nutrition

Abstract

Malnutrition or ‘hidden hunger’ is a prevalent and entrenched global socio-economic challenge that results due to the combined impact of poverty, poor access to food, inefficient food distribution infrastructure, and an over-reliance on subsistence mono-agriculture. Vitamin deficiencies are the major forms of micronutrient deficiencies, and are associated with severe physical and intellectual damages in humans. The dependence on the staple cereals, lacking major vitamins, without having a diverse diet, and nutrient losses during crop processing are the root of the problem in developing countries. Thus, providing a more balanced vitamin intake from high-quality food remains one of the formidable challenges for global human nutrition. Biofortification of crops through conventional breeding and/or genetic engineering plays a promising role in complementing in the battle against micronutrient deficiencies and combating vitamin deficiencies. The present review highlights the researches carried out so far in engineering of major metabolic pathways of water-soluble vitamins, viz., vitamins B and C to attain adequate levels of such vitamins in the dietary food items, so as to satisfy the Recommended Dietary Intake (RDI) of each vitamin, thereby offering a sustainable solution to populations with a suboptimal micronutrient intake.