Micronutrient Malnutrition

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Micronutrient Malnutrition
Ismail Cakmak Sabanci University, Istanbul
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Some Major World Risk Factors Causing Deaths
Risk Factor
Number of Deaths x1000
Malnutrition accounts of 30 million deaths per
year ( 1 death per second) (WHO estimate)
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Leading 10 Risk Factors in Developing Countries
Cause of Disease Burden (WHO, 2002)
WHO, 2002
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Copenhagen Consensus-2004 Worldwide Panel of
Distinguished Economists including Nobel
Prize-Winners
Top Four Global Challenges
1- Control of HIV/AIDS 2- Providing adequate
amount of micronutrients (Fe, Zn..) to human
populations 3- Trade Liberalization 4-
Control of Malaria
Source http//www.copenhagenconsensus.com
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Nearly the half of world population affected from
micronutrient deficiencies
Welch and Graham, 1999 Field Crops Res
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Zinc deficiency global nutritional problem in
human beings
Zinc deficiency
Courtesy of Dr. J.Veenemans Wageningen University
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Zinc and Iron deficiencies affect a range of
functions

• Immunity
• Growth
• Lower work productivity
• Higher morbidity/mortality
• Lower cognitive ability
• Brain development
• Reproduction

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Reason High consumption of cereal based foods
with low Zn and Fe content
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Cereals have inherently low concentrations of Zn
and Fe in grain, particularly when grown on
micronutrient-deficient soils
Currently, nearly 50 of the global cereal
growing regions are on soils having low levels
of available soil Zn
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Zinc Deficiency is also Global Micronutrient
Deficiency in Soils
(Alloway, 2004, In Zinc in soils and Crop
Nutrition. IZA Publications, Brussels)
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Estimation
For a better Zn or Fe nutrition of human beings,
cereal grains should contain around 40-60 mg kg-1
Zn or Fe
Current Situation 10-30 mg kg-1
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• Global Challenge
• Improve Zn and Fe Density in Food Crops

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Solutions to Zinc and Fe Deficienciesin Human
Beings

• Supplementation
• Food Fortification
• (Expensive approaches)

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Agricultural Strategies - Breeding Genetic
Biofortification
- Fertilizers Agronomic Biofortification
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HarvestPlus Biofortification Challenge
Program Main Sponsors Gates Foundation and
World Bank
Breeding new cereal cultivars with high
micronutrient content in cereal grains
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Quick Solution to Problem Application of
Zn-Containing Fertilizers
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Zinc Deficiency in Central Anatolia
Zn
-Zn
Zn
-Zn
Zn
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Use of Zn-enriched NP and NPK fertilizers in
Turkey following NATO-Zinc Project
Zn-fertilizer market nearly gt200 mio USD/year
Detection of Zn deficiency in wheat in Central
Anatolia
1000 tons
Years
Sources Turkish Ministry of Agriculture, 2004
TOROS Tarim, 2007
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Similar Approach in Finland Enrichment
Fertilizers with Selenium Increased Grain
Selenium and Contributed to Human Health
84 86 88 90
92 94 96 98
00 02 04
Y E A R S
Na2SeO4added to NPK fertilizers for cereals
16 mg kg-1
6 mg kg-1
10 mg kg-1
Courtesy of Jr. Combs, slide redrawn
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A New HarvestPlus Project Agronomic
Biofortification Use of Zinc-Containing
Fertilizers for Enriching Cereal Grains with
Zinc and Improving Yield
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HarvestPlus Agronomic Biofortification Project
Supporting Partners
Mosaic Company-USA KS Kali
GmbH-Germany HarvestPlus-USA
International Zinc Association-USA
OMEX Agriculture-UK
International Fertilizer Industry Assoc.-France
International Plant Nutrition Institute-USA
Scientific Coordination
Sabanci University, Istanbul-Turkey
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Collaborating Institutions-Target Countries-

• BRAZIL EMPRABA-Brazilian Agricultural Research
  Corporation,
• CHINA China Agricultural University, Beijing
• INDIA The Indian Agricultural Research
  Institute, New Delhi
• ZIMBABWE University of Zimbabwe
• MOZAMBIQUE Instituto de Investigacao Agraria de
  Mocambique (IIAM) Maputo
• PAKISTAN National Agricultural Research Center,
  Islamabad
• THAILAND Chiang Mai University
• TURKEY Ministry of Agriculture

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Institutional Organization
Supporting Partners
Supporting Partners
Consortium Institution
Mosaic Co. USA
Internat. Zinc Assoc. USA
KS GmbH Germany
Int. Fertilizer Ind.
Assoc. France
OMEX Ltd. England
Coordinating Institution
Int. Plant Nutr. Inst. USA
Collaborating Countries/Institutions
CHINA CAU China Agric. University
INDIA IARI Indian Agric. Res. Inst.
THAILAND Chiang Mai University
PAKISTAN NARC Nat. Agric. Res. Cen.
ZIMBABWE Soil Fertility Cons. for Southern Africa
TURKEY Ministry of Agriculture
MOZAMBIQUE IIAM Inst Inv Agr Moz
BRAZIL EMBRAPA Agr. Res. Corp.