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. 2023 Nov;4(11):978-985.
doi: 10.1038/s43016-023-00874-y. Epub 2023 Nov 9.

A systematic review of the impacts of post-harvest handling on provitamin A, iron and zinc retention in seven biofortified crops

Samantha L Huey  1   2   3 , Elsa M Konieczynski  1 , Neel H Mehta  1 , Jesse T Krisher  1 , Arini Bhargava  1 , Valerie M Friesen  4 , Mduduzi N N Mbuya  5 , Eva C Monterrosa  4 , Annette M Nyangaresi  6 , Saurabh Mehta  7   8   9
Affiliations

A systematic review of the impacts of post-harvest handling on provitamin A, iron and zinc retention in seven biofortified crops

Samantha L Huey et al. Nat Food. 2023 Nov.

Abstract

Post-harvest handling can affect micronutrient retention in biofortified crops through to the point of consumption. Here we conduct a systematic review identifying 67 articles examining the retention of micronutrients in conventionally bred biofortified maize, orange sweet potato, cassava, pearl millet, rice, beans and wheat. Provitamin A crops maintain high amounts compared with non-biofortified counterparts. Iron and zinc crops have more variability in micronutrient retention dependent on processing method; for maximum iron and zinc content, whole grain product consumption such as whole wheat flour or only slightly milled brown rice is beneficial. We offer preliminary suggestions for households, regulatory bodies and programme implementers to increase consumer awareness on best practices for preparing crops to maximize micronutrient content, while highlighting gaps in the literature. Our online, interactive Micronutrient Retention Dashboard ( https://www.cpnh.cornell.edu/mn-retention-db ) offers an at-a-glance view of the compiled minimum and maximum retention found, organized by processing method.

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Conflict of interest statement

S.M. is an unpaid board member of a diagnostic start-up focused on developing assays for low-cost and point-of-care measurement of certain nutrients from a drop of blood using results from his research as a faculty member at Cornell University. GAIN is a not-for-profit organization supporting and promoting biofortification programmes; V.M.F., M.N.N.M., E.C.M. and A.M.N. are employees of GAIN. The remaining authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1. PRISMA Diagram for selection of studies included in this review.
PRISMA Diagram shows the selection of 67 studies found under all four review topics.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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    1. U.S. Department of Agriculture USDA Table of Nutrient Retention Factors Release 6 (USDA, 2007).
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