Biofortification of Rice: Enhancing Nutritional Value by Genetic Manipulation

Rice is a staple food in more than 30 developing nations, supplying a minimum of 20% of essential dietary protein and other essential nutrients. Unfortunately, developing countries solely depend on rice for their calorie and nutritional requirements, the latter could not be successfully met as a result leading to hidden hunger among the general population. The nutritional quality of rice is significantly reduced through post-harvest processing due to the loss of dietary minerals and vitamins from the aleurone layer. Previously developed strategies like supplementation and fortified foods were proved ineffective due to technical and socio-economic drawbacks. Genetic engineering holds promise towards the biofortification of rice and several cereals. Metabolic engineering makes it possible to biofortify cereal grains including rice, without compromising the agronomic characteristics. This chapter concentrates on contemporary progress in enhancing the genetic profile of rice to improve its iron, zinc, and vitamin content.