Potential of non-GMO biofortified pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum) for increasing iron and zinc content and their estimated bioavailability during abrasive decortication

Two non-GMO biofortified and one traditional pearl millet varieties were compared in abrasive decortication studies to evaluate their potential for increasing iron and zinc content. The phytate-to-mineral ratios were used to estimate mineral bioavailability. Iron and zinc contents in the biofortified varieties Tabi and GB8735 were two to threefold higher than in the traditional variety. Iron content reached 7.2 and 6.7 mg per 100 g DM in the biofortified varieties, which corresponds to the target values of biofortification programs. Zinc content was, respectively, 5.6 and 4.1 mg per 100 g DM in the GB8735 and Tabi varieties. Because of the presence of phytate and other chelating factors that were only partially removed during decortication, there was no improvement in iron bioavailability in the biofortified varieties. But whatever extraction rate, phytate-to-zinc ratios ranged between 6 and 18; zinc absorption could be improved by using these biofortified varieties for food processing.