Advances and Prospects in Fruit Biofortification for Nutritional Security

Abstract

Micronutrient malnutrition commonly referred to as “hidden hunger” which continues to affect more than two billion people worldwide, particularly in low and middle-income countries. Traditional interventions such as supplementation and industrial food fortification have had limited reach and sustainability. Biofortification, the process of increasing the nutrient content of crops through agronomy, conventional breeding, or modern biotechnology, offers a cost-effective and sustainable solution. While staple crops have been the primary focus, fruit biofortification is emerging as a powerful strategy due to fruits’ inherent richness in vitamins, antioxidants, and phytochemicals, and their widespread raw consumption. This review synthesizes the latest advances in biofortification including agronomic practices, marker-assisted selection, genomic tools, and genome editing (e.g., CRISPR/Cas9) of different fruit crops. Successful case studies involving provitamin A-enriched bananas in Uganda, vitamin C-rich apples in China, carotenoid-rich citrus fruits in Brazil and Spain, anthocyanin-enhanced berries in the USA and Chile, and iron-fortified mangoes in India demonstrate the potential of biofortified fruits to improve human nutrition and food security. Challenges related to regulation, public acceptance, and technical capacity are critically analyzed. The paper concludes that fruit biofortification, if mainstreamed into agriculture and nutrition policies, could play a transformative role in global food and nutrition security. With evolving biotechnology and supportive policies, fruit biofortification is poised to bridge the gap between agricultural innovation and public health nutrition. SAARC J. Agric., 24(1): 287-300 (2026)