The document summarizes research on biofortification being conducted by the AgroSalud project to improve nutrition in Latin America and the Caribbean. The project aims to develop and promote staple crops with higher concentrations of key nutrients like iron, zinc and vitamin A. Researchers are evaluating these biofortified crops across several criteria to determine their potential nutrition impact and cost-effectiveness compared to supplementation and fortification. Initial results suggest various biofortified crops have higher nutrient concentrations and bioavailability, as well as acceptable sensory properties and positive nutrition outcomes for consumers.

1. AgroSalud Nutrition Research In Latin America and the Caribbean Helena Pachón AgroSalud Project Knowledge-sharing Week CIAT 21 May 2009

7. ~36 Nutritionally Improved Crops to be Commercially Released in 2007-2010 Courtesy: Róger Urbina, CIAT 2009 (1) - - - México 2008 (1) - - - Haití - - 2009 (2) - Perú 2008 (2) 2009 (1) 2009 (2) - Colombia 2008 (2) - - - Panamá - - 2009 (1) 2010 (1) República Dominicana - 2009 (1) - 2009 (1) 2010 (1) Cuba - 2009 (1) - 2009 (1) Bolivia - - 2009 (2) 2009 (1) Brasil 2008 (2) 2010 (1) - - El Salvador - 2009 (1) - - Costa Rica Country Crops Rice Swtpotato Beans Maize Guatemala - - 2009 (1) 2009 (2) Honduras - - 2009 (1) 2008 (2) Nicaragua 2010 (1) 2009 (1) 2009 (1) 2007 (2) Total 6 8 8 14

8. Strategy for Evaluating Nutrition Impact Crop/Product People Nutrient concentration Nutrient bioavailability Simulation Acceptability Biofortified Conventional > Efficacy Nutrient retention Cost-effectiveness Site selection

12. Nutrient Bioavailability: Appropriateness of in vitro method for iron bioavailability (Ingrid Aragón, Universidad del Valle, CIAT presentation 2009, KSW poster) High correlation between in vivo and in vitro methods

13. Nutrient Bioavailability: Protein (Pachón et al., Journal of Food Science, in press) P=0.19

14. Nutrient Bioavailability Other study carried out : Evaluating the in vitro iron, zinc, vitamin A and protein bioavailability of leaf extracts prepared from the foliage of different crops (Sayda Pico, CIAT presentation 2008) Underway (180 lines) Iron, Zinc Rice (Dayron Gutiérrez, Ingrid Aragón) Biofortified<conventional (1 recipe) Biofortified=conventional (10 recipes) Biofortified>conventional (3 recipes) Protein Maize (Paola Imbachí, CIAT presentation 2009) Biofortified=conventional (1 recipe) Iron, Zinc Beans (Pachón et al., J Food Sci, in press) Bioavailability Nutrient Crop

16. Nutrient Retention (Paola Imbachí, Universidad del Cauca, CIAT presentation 2009) 14 recipes In finished product, tryptophan: Biofortified>Conventional (n=10) Biofortified=Conventional (n=4) P<0.05 P<0.05 P=0.50 P<0.05 P<0.05 P<0.05 P<0.05

17. Nutrient Retention (Sonia Gallego, Alba Lucía Chávez, Moralba Domínguez, 2008)

19. Impact Simulation *RDA Fe: 18,000 μg/d, Zn: 11,000 μg/d, Vitamin A: 900 μg/d (IOM, 2001) (Intake data: http://www.fao.org/faostat/foodsecurity/Files/FoodConsumptionFoodItems_en.xls ) 19% RDA 32% RDA 39% RDA Additional nutrient contribution compared with requirements (RDAs)

20. Impact Simulation *RDA Fe: 18,000 μg/d; Zn: 11,000 μg/d; Vitamin A: 900 μg/d (IOM, 2001) Intake data: http:// www.fao.org / faostat / foodsecurity /Files/ FoodConsumptionFoodItems_en.xls ) 21.3 (12.9) 27.8 (8.4) 42.2 (18.5) Mean (SD) 5.8 12.7 8.3 20.5 48.7 30.6 23.6 34.6 33.0 28.8 1.7 19.2 14.8 15.7 % RDA Vitamin A* 18.1 27.0 18.3 53.6 77.1 50.0 43.8 54.7 58.2 60.9 15.9 39.2 45.4 28.2 % RDA Iron* 18.0 26.5 16.2 32.2 34.0 23.5 34.1 24.5 27.6 44.8 17.1 31.5 38.3 21.6 % RDA Zinc* República Dominicana Perú Panamá Nicaragua México Honduras Haití Guatemala El Salvador Cuba Costa Rica Colombia Brasil Bolivia Country

23. Consumer Acceptability Biofortified Beans Conventional Beans ¿Do they discriminate between biofortified and conventional beans? ¿Do they prefer biofortified or conventional beans? 80 Consumers in Holguín, Cuba (Orlando Chaveco, Unidad de Extensión, Investigación y Capacitación Agropecuaria de Holguín, Cuba )

24. Consumer Acceptability After tasting a recipe prepared with both bean types, consumers discriminated between biofortified and conventional beans (Orlando Chaveco, Unidad de Extensión, Investigación y Capacitación Agropecuaria de Holguín, Cuba ) Biofortified Bean Conventional Bean

25. Consumer Acceptability After tasting a recipe prepared with both bean types, consumers expressed no preference for biofortified or conventional beans (Orlando Chaveco, Unidad de Extensión, Investigación y Capacitación Agropecuaria de Holguín, Cuba ) P=0.13

28. Efficacy Biofortified Maize Offered 5 d/wk for 3.5 mo Improved the Weight and Height of Nicaraguan Pre-schoolers who were Mild or Moderately Malnourished at Baseline (Ortega et al., Archivos Latinoamericanos de Nutrición, 2008) 0.80 0.19 2.02 1.23 P<0.01 P<0.01

31. Ex-ante Cost-effectiveness Compared with WHO estimates of the cost-effectiveness of supplementation and fortification in Latin America, the biofortification of rice, beans and maize with (1) iron is more favorable, (2) zinc (rice, maize) is more favorable than supplementation and (3) zinc is less favorable than fortification. Courtesy: Salomón Pérez, CIAT * DALY = Disability-adjusted Life Years; WHO CHOICE for AMR B www.who.int/choice/results/en/ for Zn; Baltussen et al., 2004 for AMR B for Fe; WHO estimates assume 50% coverage *

32. The economic impact of introducing pro-vitamin A biofortified cassava http://edge.rit.edu/content/P07403/public/cassava.jpg Monetary gains are corrected for the costs Ex-ante Cost-effectiveness (Anne Jacobsen, University of Copenhagen, CIAT presentation 2008 ) Country Scenario Health burden reduction (%) Internal Rate of Return (%) Monetary gain (million US$) Colombia Optimistic 1.40% 42.7 0.5 Pessimistic 0.10% -1.1 -0.2 Honduras Optimistic 7.20% 45.5 0.3 Pessimistic 0.40% 1.0 -0.2 Mexico Optimistic 0.20% 71.1 0.9 Pessimistic 0.00% 14.9 -0.1 Nicaragua Optimistic 40.00% 74.4 1.6 Pessimistic 5.60% 33.7 0.0

34. Enabling a Policy Environment for Biofortification Integration of Biofortification into National Nutrition Plans in Panama and Cuba -Analysis of Colombian Food & Nutrition Policies (Salomón Pérez, KSW poster) -Food & Nutrition Security Committee, Cali

35. Support from Central American Ministers of Agriculture

36. Opening of CIAT’s Nutrition Quality Laboratory (2009) El Tiempo, 2 agosto 2008 Visit