Ross M Welch

• Professor
• Professor at Cornell University

Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST) - Issue Paper 69 https://www.cast-science.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/CAST_IP69_Biofortification-1.pdf

Iron deficiency is the most prevalent nutritional deficiency, affecting more than 30% of the total world's population. It is a major public health problem in many countries around the world. Over the years various methods have been used with an effort to try and control iron-deficiency anemia. However, there has only been a marginal reduction in th...

This chapter recounts the impact of the green revolution (1960-1980) on subsequent world food supplies and its consequences in terms of human nutrition and health via its impact on the micronutrient status of staple foods and of diets generally. Micronutrient deficiency disorders now occur in over half of the total human population. This chapter th...

Caco-2 cell metallothionein (MT) formation was studied to determine if MT could be used as a proxy for zinc (Zn) absorption in a cell culture model. The MT intracellular concentration was determined using a cadmium/hemoglobin affinity assay. The cellular Zn uptake was determined by acid digests (5% HNO(3)) using inductively-coupled argon-plasma emi...

Previously, we showed that supplementation of diets with short-chain inulin (P95), long-chain inulin (HP), and a 50:50 mixture of both (Synergy 1) improved body iron status and altered expression of the genes involved in iron homeostasis and inflammation in young pigs. However, the effects of these 3 types of inulin on intestinal bacteria remain un...

Polished rice is a staple food for over 50% of the world's population, but contains little bioavailable iron (Fe) to meet human needs. Thus, biofortifying the rice grain with novel promoters or enhancers of Fe utilization would be one of the most effective strategies to prevent the high prevalence of Fe deficiency and iron deficiency anemia in the...

Minerals and vitamins in food staples eaten widely by the poor may be increased either through conventional plant breeding or through use of transgenic techniques, a process known as biofortification. HarvestPlus seeks to develop and distribute cultivars of food staples (rice [Oryza sativa L.], wheat [Triticum aestivum L.], maize [Zea mays L.], cas...

Rice is the primary food for half of the world population and in Brazil it is the most consumed cereal. Plant breeders have selected rice cultivars for high micronutrient density traits, but there is a need to include other elements that can affect micronutrient bioavailability, such as cadmium (Cd). The study was conducted with the purpose of eval...

We have previously shown improved hemoglobin (Hb) repletion efficiency by supplementing a 50:50 mixture of short (P95) and long-chain (HP) inulin (Synergy 1, BENEO-Orafti) into a corn-soybean meal-basal diet (BD) for young pigs. In this study, weanling pigs (5 or 6 wk old) were fed the BD or the BD + 4% of P95, HP, or Synergy 1 (50:50 mixtures of H...

Prebiotics may enhance iron bioavailability by increasing iron absorption in the colon. Anemic pigs fitted with cecal cannulas were fed a low-iron diet with or without 4% inulin. Over 7 days, pigs were administered 1 mg of (54)Fe in the morning feed followed by cannula infusion of 0.5 mg of (58)Fe to measure total and colonic iron absorption, respe...

Common beans contain relatively high concentrations of iron (Fe) and zinc (Zn) but are also high in polyphenols and phytates, factors that may inhibit Fe and Zn absorption. In vitro (Caco-2 cells) and in vivo (pigs) models were used to compare Fe and Zn bioavailabilities between red and white beans, which differ in polyphenol content. Bean/maize di...

This study compared the mRNA expression of 27 Fe‐related genes in intestine and liver of pigs fed 3 types of inulin (BENEO‐Orafti, Tienen, Belgium). A total of 20 pigs (5‐wk old) were fed a corn‐soybean meal based diet (BD) without supplemental inorganic iron, or the BD + 4% of P95 (oligofructose), HP (long‐chain), and Synergy 1 (50:50 mix of P95 a...

We investigated the adverse effect of phytate on mineral absorption and the effect of dietary phytate and age on the relationship between faecal phytate and faecal mineral excretion. Fourteen young women (aged 19-24 years) and fourteen elderly women (64-75 years) were studied for two metabolic periods (MP). In MP1, the subjects consumed a controlle...

Our objective was to compare the capacities of biofortified and standard black beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) to deliver iron (Fe) for hemoglobin (Hb) synthesis. Two lines of black beans, one standard and the other biofortified (high) in Fe (71 and 106 microg Fe/g, respectively), were used. Maize-based diets containing the beans were formulated to m...

Fructans are prebiotics, with potentially beneficial effects on human health. This study aimed to examine genetic variation in wheat grain fructan content using a simplified analytical method. The method involves extracting fructans from wheat grain followed by enzymatic hydrolysis to break down fructans into monosaccharides that can then be quanti...

The effects of ascorbic acid (AA), phytate and tannic acid (TA) on Fe bioavailability from Fe supplied as reconstituted ferritin were compared with FeSO4 using an in vitro digestion-Caco-2 cell model. Horse spleen apoferritin was chemically reconstituted into an animal-type ferritin (HSF) and a plant-type ferritin (P-HSF) according to the typical r...

Isotopic labeling of food has been widely used for the measurement of Fe absorption in determining requirements and evaluating the factors involved in Fe bioavailability. An extrinsic labeling technique will not accurately predict the total Fe absorption from foods unless complete isotopic exchange takes place between an extrinsically added isotope...

Polyphenols in foods may chelate dietary Fe and lower its bioavailability. Concentrations of phenols are higher in red beans than in white beans. The aim of this study was to compare iron bioavailabilities from red and white beans in a piglet hemoglobin repletion model. Fe deficient cross bred piglets (Hampshire x Landrace x Yorkshire) were used. N...

No studies have examined the independent effects of current and longer-term dietary zinc intakes on zinc absorption. We determined the effects of current compared with longer-term zinc intake on fractional zinc absorption (FZA). We studied 9 men whose usual zinc intakes were >11 mg/d. FZA was measured at baseline, depletion (0.6 mg Zn/d for 1 wk an...

Inulin, a linear beta fructan, is present in a variety of plants including chicory root and wheat. It exhibits prebiotic properties and has been shown to enhance mineral absorption and increase beneficial bacteria in the colon. The aim of the present study was to assess the effect of dietary inulin on the gene expression of selected intestinal Fe t...

The study was done to determine the effect of dietary phytate and age on the relationships between fecal phytate and mineral excretions. Fourteen young and 14 elderly women were fed two experimental diets, high phytate (HP) and low phytate (LP), for 10 days each with a washout period. Duplicate diet samples from two different menus and complete fec...

Inulin may be used to improve mineral nutrition in humans. We showed positive effects of Synergy 1, a mixture of short oligofructose P95 and long‐chain HP (Orafti, Tienen, Belgium) on hemoglobin repletion efficiency (HRE) and cecum as the major degradation site in young anemic pigs. The present study was conducted to compare the effect of HP and P9...

Beans contribute significant amounts of Fe in the diets of many populations. A major cause of Fe deficiency is poor Fe bioavailability from plant ‐ based diets containing Fe absorption inhibitors such as polyphenols. Our objective was to compare Fe and Zn bioavailability between red and white beans which differ in their polyphenol content. Anemic p...

Malnutrition accounts for more than 30 million deaths a year in mostly resource-poor families in the developing world. Much of this malnutrition is the result of insufficient intakes of available trace elements in the diets of the poor. Dysfunctional food systems are responsible for this global crisis in human health. Importantly, agricultural syst...

Two groups have reported >90% of inulin digestion occurs before the cecum in pigs and argued against pigs as a proper animal model for humans in this regard. Two experiments were conducted with weanling pigs to characterize the hydrolysis profile of inulin in their digestive tracts. In Expt. 1, 12 pigs (weighing 7.7 +/- 0.2 kg) were fed a low-iron...

The common bean ( Phaseolus vulgaris) is an important staple plant food in the diets of people of Latin America, East Africa,and other regions of the developing world. It is also a major source of dietary iron. The primary goal of this research was to use an in vitro digestion/Caco-2 model to study iron bioavailability in eight genotypes (three Mes...

An in vitro digestion and Caco-2 cell model may predict iron bioavailability to humans; however, direct comparisons are lacking. The objective was to test the differences in iron bioavailability between 2 maize varieties and 2 bean varieties (white beans and colored beans) by comparing human, Caco-2, and algorithm results. Two randomized, 2 x 2 fac...

Information on the excretion of dietary phytate in humans under different conditions is limited. The purpose of this study was to investigate fecal excretion of dietary phytate and phosphorus in a group of young and elderly women consuming high and low phytate diets. Fifteen young and fourteen elderly women were fed two experimental diets, high phy...

The major subsistence food systems of the world that feed resource‐poor populations are identified and their capacity to supply essential nutrients in reasonable balance to the people dependent on them has been considered for some of these with a view to overcoming their nutrient limitations in sound agronomic and sustainable ways. The approach dis...

Phytate (inositol-hexa-phosphate) has an important role in plants but it also may have anti-nutritional properties in animals and humans. While there is debate within the plant breeding and nutrition communities regarding an optimum level in grain, there appears to be little information at the molecular level for the genetics of this trait, and its...

Iron deficiency represents one of the most common global nutritional disorders in humans. Our objective was to determine whether and how supplemental inulin improved utilization of iron intrinsically present in a corn and soybean meal diet by young pigs for hemoglobin repletion. In Expt. 1, 3 groups (n = 8/group) of pigs were fed a corn and soybean...

Four different colored beans (white, red, pinto, and black beans) were investigated for factors affecting iron bioavailability using an in vitro digestion/human Caco-2 cell model. Iron bioavailability from whole beans, dehulled beans, and their hulls was determined. The results show that white beans contained higher levels of bioavailable iron comp...

The objective of this study was to determine if a combination of commercially available mucin and an 8 microm microporous membrane insert can be used to replace the 15 kDa molecular weight cutoff (MWCO) dialysis membrane used in an established in vitro digestion/Caco-2 cell culture system. Although the current model with the 15 kDa membrane correla...

The yield of wheat (Triticum aestivum L. em. Thell) has greatly improved through breeding, but it is not known how this has affected seed micronutrient content. In the present study, the iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), and selenium (Se) content of seed of 14 US hard red winter wheat varieties from production eras spanning more than a century was...

Knowledge of the distribution of crop-available trace elements in soils is limited by the sparseness of georeferenced data and the inherent variability of the more-labile forms of these elements. Cokriging with auxiliary variables can sometimes improve estimates for a less densely sampled primary variable, while skewed data can often be made more s...

Environmental pollution by phosphorus from animal waste is a major problem in agriculture because simple-stomached animals, such as swine, poultry, and fish, cannot digest phosphorus (as phytate) present in plant feeds. To alleviate this problem, a phytase from Aspergillus niger PhyA is widely used as a feed additive to hydrolyze phytate-phosphorus...

Iron (Fe) bioavailability in unpolished, polished grain and bran fraction of five rice genotypes with a range of Fe contents was measured by in vitro digestion and cultured Caco-2 cells of cooked grain. There was a significant difference in Fe bioavailability among the five rice genotypes tested, in both the unpolished and polished grain. The range...

Here we examined several physiological properties of two near-isogenic lines of durum wheat (Triticum turgidum var. durum) that differ in grain cadmium accumulation, to identify the function of a gene locus that confers differential grain Cd concentrations. Time- and concentration-dependent uptake and translocation studies using 109Cd were conducte...

Deficiencies of micronutrients such as iron, zinc, and vitamin A afflict over three billion people (more than 50% of the world's population), most of them women, infants, and children in resource-poor families in the developing world. This global crisis in nutritional health is the result of dysfunctional food systems that do not consistently suppl...

This study utilized an in vitro digestion/Caco-2 cell model to determine the levels of ascorbic acid (AA) and "meat factor" needed to promote Fe absorption from Fe complexed with phytic acid (PA) or tannic acid (TA). AA reversed the inhibition of Fe absorption by PA beginning at a molar ratio of 1:20:1 (Fe:PA:AA) but essentially had no effect on th...

Soil deficiencies of zinc (Zn) and boron (B) limit crop production in Nepal. Improving the micronutrient status of plants would increase yield and increase micronutrient content of the seeds, leading to better nutrition of the progeny crop and to improved human micronutrient nutrition. The primary micronutrient problem in grain legumes is B deficie...

Here, we examined the effectiveness of two approaches for reducing cadmium (Cd) accumulation in durum wheat (Triticum turgidum L. var durum) grain: the application of supplemental zinc (Zn), and the use of cultivars exhibiting reduced grain Cd concentrations. Two durum wheat near-isogenic lines (NIL) that differ in grain Cd accumulation were grown...

During the 1970s, the Green Revolution basically used dwarfi ng genes in wheat and rice that allowed greater water and fertilizer effi ciency which dramatically increased the cereal productivity and thus, increased human caloric intake of the developing world. However, having met caloric intake, there is a need to address the issues of malnutrition...

Poor bioavailability of dietary iron, especially from diets rich in cereals and legumes, is a major factor contributing to the high prevalence of nutritional iron deficiency in developing countries. Dietary modification to increase intake of components that promote iron absorption from low-bioavailability meals is an effective strategy for combatin...

Selenium (Se) plays an indispensable role in human nutrition and has been implicated to have important health benefits, including being a cancer preventative agent. While different forms of Se vary in their anticarcinogenic efficacy, Se-methylselenocysteine (SeMSC) has been demonstrated to be one of the most effective chemopreventative compounds. B...

A "whole-body" radioassay procedure was used to assess retention and absorption by rats of Zn in mature kernels of whole grain wheat harvested from 28 genotypes (Triticum spp.) grown in nutrient solution supplied with 2 microM ZnSO4 radiolabeled with 65Zn. Grain-Zn concentration differed among genotypes and ranged from 33 to 149 microg g(-1) of dry...

Human existence requires that agriculture provide at least 50 nutrients (e.g., vitamins, minerals, trace elements, amino acids, essential fatty acids) in amounts needed to meet metabolic demands during all seasons. If national food systems do not meet these demands, mortality and morbidity rates increase, worker productivity declines, livelihoods a...

We believe greater consideration should be given the agronomic and nutritional/bioavailability factors that influence risk from Cd-contaminated soils. We have argued that the ability of rice to accumulate soil Cd in grain while excluding Fe, Zn and Ca (even though the soil contains 100-times more Zn than Cd) was important in adverse effects of soil...

Assessment of the stability of micronutrients is important in breeding for the enhanced nutritional quality of staple food crops as a means to alleviate malnutrition. Twenty early-maturing elite tropical maize (Zea mays L.) genotypes were evaluated over 2 years at three locations representing three distinct agroecologies in West and Central Africa...

An in vitro digestion/Caco-2 cell model was used to assess iron bioavailability of twenty elite late-maturing tropical maize varieties grown in three diverse agroecologies in West and Central Africa (WCA). Kernel-iron concentration of the varieties, averaged across locations, varied from 19.2 to 24.4 mg kg−1, while mean kernel-zinc concentration ra...

Over three billion people are currently micronutrient (i.e. micronutrient elements and vitamins) malnourished, resulting in egregious societal costs including learning disabilities among children, increased morbidity and mortality rates, lower worker productivity, and high healthcare costs, all factors diminishing human potential, felicity, and nat...

Greenhouse experiments have been carried out to study the genotypic variation among 35 bean (Phaseolus vulgarisL.) genotypes with regards to tolerance to zinc (Zn) deficiency (Zn efficiency). Plants were grown for 45days in Zn deficient soil supplemented with 0 or 5gZng–1 soil) and analyzed for Zn efficiency, plant Zn concentration and content, and...

Spinach (Spinacia oleracea) cv Whitney was tested for iron bioavailabilty using an in vitro human intestinal cell culture ferritin bioassay technique previously developed. Spinach was cultured in a growth chamber for 33 days, harvested, and freeze-dried. Total iron in the samples was an average of 71 micrograms/g dry weight. Spinach was digested in...

Iron deficiency is estimated to affect over one‐half the world population. Improving the nutritional quality of staple food crops through breeding for high bioavailable iron represents a sustainable and cost effective approach to alleviating iron malnutrition. Forty‐nine late maturing tropical elite maize varieties were grown in a lattice design wi...

Extrinsic and intrinsic iron and zinc labels were used to test iron and zinc absorption from two bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) genotypes, containing normal (common beans, CB) or higher (HFeZnB) iron and zinc concentrations, fed in single meals to young women with low iron reserves. The women were divided into two groups, with one receiving a CB test me...

Twenty elite early-maturing (75-90 days) tropical maize varieties grown in three diverse agroecologies in West Africa were evaluated to identify varieties with high kernel-Fe and -Zn and bioavailable Fe levels. Bioavailable iron was assessed using an in vitro digestion/Caco-2 cell model. Significant (P < 0.001) varietal differences were observed in...

Measurements of Cu or other trace elements in soils are rarely available in sufficient abundance to permit accurate mapping of large areas. In contrast, information is more widely available for major soil characteristics, such as cation-exchange capacity (CEC). Using data for soils of northern North Dakota, we compared four geostatistical methods a...

A whole-body radioassay procedure was used to assess the retention and apparent absorption by rats of Cd in kernels of durum wheat (Triticum turgidum L. var. durum) harvested from plants grown hydroponically in 109Cd-labelled nutrient solution. Wholegrain wheat, containing 5 micromol Cd (570 microg)/kg dry weight labelled intrinsically with 109Cd,...

Worldwide, 30% of the population, a greater proportion of whom are women and children, is iron deficient. Soybeans are a major source of nonheme iron in many human diets, but information on iron bioavailability is still conflicting. Because much of soybean iron is in ferritin [distinct from the poorly bioavailable iron in cereals resulting from int...

Nutrient sufficiency is the basis of good health, productive lives and longevity for everyone. Nutrient availability to people is primarily determined by the output of foods produced from agricultural systems. If agricultural systems fail to provide enough food diversity and quantity to satisfy all the nutrients essential to human life, people will...

Field studies have shown that the addition of Zn to Cd-containing soils can help reduce accumulation of Cd in crop plants. To understand the mechanisms involved, this study used 109Cd and 65Zn to examine the transport interactions of Zn and Cd at the root cell plasma membrane of bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and durum wheat (Triticum turgidum...

A whole‐body radioassay procedure was used to assess the bioavailability to rats of zinc (Zn) in seeds of 18 genotypes of beans ( Phaseolus vulgaris L) that were grown hydroponically. Dry beans that were labelled intrinsically with ⁶⁵ Zn were added to test meals fed to rats that were marginally Zn‐deficient. The amount of Zn in the seeds varied bet...

Micronutrient malnutrition (e.g. Fe, Zn and vitamin A deficiencies) now afflicts over 40% of the world's population and is increasing especially in many developing nations. Green revolution cropping systems may have inadvertently contributed to the growth in micronutrient deficiencies in resource-poor populations. Current interventions to eliminate...

An in vitro digestion/Caco-2 model was used to compare iron bioavailability from 15 selected Fe-dense and normal genotypes of unpolished rice from the International Rice Research Institute. Iron uptake was determined using Caco-2 cell ferritin formation in response to exposure to a digest of the cooked rice. Iron bioavailabilities from all rice gen...

One sustainable agricultural approach to reducing micronutrient malnutrition among people at highest risk (i.e., resource-poor women, infants and children) globally is to enrich major staple food crops (e.g., rice, wheat, maize, beans and cassava) with micronutrients through plant-breeding strategies. These target groups are dependent on these stap...

One sustainable agricultural approach to reducing micronutrient malnutrition among people at highest risk (i.e., resource-poor women, infants and children) globally is to enrich major staple food crops (e.g., rice, wheat, maize, beans and cassava) with micronutrients through plant-breeding strategies. These target groups are dependent on these stap...

An HPLC method to quantitate phytometallophores (phytosiderophores) exuded from roots of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) growing in nutrient solution culture was developed. 9-Fluorenylmethyl chloroformate (FMOC) derivatives of phytometallophores were separated on a C18 reverse-phase column using a sodium acetate (pH 7.2) and acetonitrile-methanol gradi...