The relevance of biotechnology in the development of functional foods for improved nutritional and health quality in developing countries

Abstract

The quality of food and food plants can be modified and optimized to meet the nutritional and health 
needs of at-risk and compromised populations prevalent in most of the developing countries. High 
rates of malnutrition, infectious disease as well as diet-related diseases such as diabetes and 
hypertension are prevalent in many developing countries. These are as a result of compromised 
immune function, inadequate sources of nutritious and quality foods and limited access to healthy and 
suitable foods. Biotechnology and genetic modification techniques have been proposed and applied for 
the improvement of the quality of various food crops. These have typically been geared towards 
increasing yields and pest resistance of cash crops. There is considerably less emphasis however, 
toward improving quality with regard to fortification or functionality of foods and food plants. 
Functional foods have nutritional and physiological benefits and are applicable in disease prevention 
and management. The application of biotechnology techniques for the development of functional food 
plants with higher levels of bioactive components or increased availability of nutrients would greatly 
benefit most populations in developing countries and improve the health and nutritional status overall.