Food Processing: A Model to Evaluating Enhancement of Nutritional Values in Crops from Conventional Breeding

Abstract

Food is the most fundamental of human needs. Plants are the primary producers in the ecosystem as designed in energy food chain. The absenteeism of them makes life on earth insufferable, particularly for higher organisms. Food processing is one of the vital fragments in food preparation which cannot be over emphasized on the basis of mankind needs for food consumption. Crop breeding alleviates the challenge of malnutrition via the possible improvements of crops with highly nutritional values. Agricultural research coordination as operated in value chain system has the capacity to integrate nutrition-enhancing traits in crop varieties that are farmers’ interest to be grown and consumed by regulars at all levels. Genetically modified (GM) foods can be harmful to the human body and the stock ingredients used in nutrient supplements has outstripped the obtainability of methods and expertise to scrutinize them. Report has also shown the possibilities of high doses of nutrient intake which could be detrimental to human health. This brings a justifying reason to revisiting conventional breeding to improve crop plants for nutritional values. How can conventional breeding be appreciated, if the processing of food is done with nutrient supplementations or the usage of genetically modified foods. How do we evaluate the mineral content and nutritional value of crops grown by conventional breeding, if GM foods and nutrient supplementation are prevalent in use? Connecting the two concepts requires an extensive collaborative effort between expertise in both discipline to ensure nutrient-enriching agriculture, eco-friendly and promoting staple food crops.