0 Introduction

0.1 General

HarvestPlus leads and coordinates a global effort within the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) network to improve nutrition by promoting biofortified staple crops. This effort focuses on catalyzing the development, production, delivery and consumption of foods that are rich in essential micronutrients, including vitamin A. In May 2018, HarvestPlus and GAIN launched a landmark partnership to accelerate progress towards improving access to biofortified seed, grain and foods via commercial channels with the Commercialization of Biofortified Crops (CBC) program.

The standard outlined in the PAS is meant to enable easier procurement of maize grain, cassava and sweet potato roots enriched prior to harvest with provitamin A carotenoids (PVAC). Processing after this point, which might reduce micronutrient concentration, is not covered by this PAS. Further processing and promotion to consumers is not covered.

0.2 Provitamin A carotenoids (PVAC)

Provitamin A carotenoids are naturally occurring compounds commonly found in foods which convert to retinol (vitamin A) in the body. Vitamin A deficiency is a public health problem in more than half of all countries, especially those in Africa and South-East Asia. The most severe effects of this deficiency are seen in young children and pregnant women in low-income countries [1]. Night blindness is one of the first signs of vitamin A deficiency. In its more severe forms, vitamin A deficiency contributes to blindness by making the cornea very dry, thus damaging the retina and cornea. An estimated 250 000 – 500 000 children who are vitamin A-deficient become blind every year, and half of them die within 12 months of losing their sight [1]. Vitamin A deficiency also contributes to maternal mortality and other poor outcomes of pregnancy and lactation. Vitamin A is important for several functions in the body. Even mild, subclinical deficiency could cause problems such as:

a) Increasing children’s risk for respiratory and diarrheal infections in children;
b) decreasing growth rate;
c) slow bone development; and
d) decreasing the likelihood of survival from serious illness.

When consumed daily, PVAC enriched maize, cassava and sweet potato can contribute up to 50% of the recommended daily allowance (RDA) of vitamin A for women and young children who regularly consume these staples. The RDA is the average daily level of intake sufficient to meet the nutrient requirements of nearly all (97%-98%) healthy people.

NOTE 1 See HarvestPlus publication, Estimated Average Requirements Provided by Biofortification [2].

PVAC enriched crops contain high concentration of PVAC during harvest, however, several factors affect the concentration of PVAC after harvest. The highly unsaturated structure of carotenoids makes them highly susceptible to post-harvest degradation by heat, light and oxygen during storage. As such, while research has shown that PVAC concentration from PVAC enriched foods is higher than that from conventional crops during harvest, attention should be given to storage duration, methods of storage, nature and degree of processing, to ensure maximum retention of the available carotenoids at time of consumption.

Biofortified foods processed/prepared in households are typically not subject to high levels of PVAC loss; the general nutrition impact is high due to the relatively high “true PVAC retention”. Processed commercial products might be subject to higher nutrient losses. The portion of edible food has relatively higher levels of PVAC, enough to produce an impact on the consumer, especially for cassava flour/granules and sweet potato flour/chips.

NOTE 2 See Bioavailability of zinc, PVAC, and Provitamin A carotenoids in biofortified staple crops [3] and Food Biofortification - Reaping the Benefits of Science to Overcome Hidden Hunger - A paper in the series on The Need for Agricultural Innovation to Sustainably Feed the World by 2050 [4].

NOTE 3 See published papers covering PVAC retention in foods made from each of crop [5], [6] and [7].

0.3 Rationale

Crops enriched with PVAC are generally orange or yellow in colour and could be visually distinguishable from white standard commercial crops, however, they could be indistinguishable from yellow or orange crops containing commonly found carotenoids without provitamin A activity, such as lutein, zeaxanthin and lycopene. To facilitate domestic, regional, and international procurement and trade of PVAC biofortified maize grain and cassava and sweet potato roots, individuals and entities along the value chain need to have specific guidance to differentiate the PVAC enriched crops from conventional crops, and from crops considered as enriched during harvest that suffered large PVAC losses during storage. The requirements outlined in this PAS for PVAC enriched crops aid in widespread adoption and scale-up of these commodities in local and global food systems.

The methods and definitions of the biofortification technology used to develop enriched crops are set out in several other regulatory and academic publications. All terms associated with biofortification (i.e. biofortified, biofortify) are not used within this PAS but are accepted terms for identifying nutrient enriched grains and roots. PVAC enriched maize grain and cassava and sweet potato roots are the terms used throughout this PAS to define the final nutrient enriched crop with minimal postharvest treatments (drying, threshing, cleaning). These terms might be used by various entities, including, but not limited to, international nutrition and agriculture agencies, governments, researchers, and private and public enterprises. It is important to note that consumer understanding and acceptance of the term “biofortification” might vary country to country.

PAS 235 is not intended to be a position statement on the different types of breeding technologies available to produce PVAC enriched crops. This PAS focuses on the PVAC concentration in the harvested grain or root or product and its potential impact on human nutrition, not on the technology used. The PAS sponsor and steering committee members acknowledge the ongoing international conversation concerning the use and acceptance of conventional and transgenic crops among global stakeholders and consumers. It is the responsibility of the user of this PAS to abide by current regulations within countries and to properly communicate to consumers, as applicable, the source of the grain, root and the breeding technology used.

At the time of publication, conventional plant breeding was the most widely available and adopted form of PVAC enriched maize, grain, cassava root and potato root, with a robust collection of scientific literature on the subject published in peer-reviewed journals. Other technologies to enhance PVAC content or bioavailability in crops for human health are currently in development and will be tested and evaluated as these crops become available.

PAS 235:2022

Provitamin A carotenoids (PVAC) enriched maize grain, cassava and sweet potato roots. Specification

Current

Published:

31 Jul 2022