Researchers at Iowa State are now part of an international program designed to combat malnutrition in developing countries through crop breeding.

HarvestPlus, a program developed by the International Food Policy Research Institute, aims to decrease malnutrition by breeding crops to contain higher vitamin and mineral contents.

The group is working to develop corn with increased levels of vitamin A, said David Acker, assistant dean for national and global programs in the College of Agriculture.

“Vitamin A deficiency is one of the most serious nutritional problems with children in poor countries,” he said.

“In Africa, if you could solve the problem of vitamin A deficiency, you could potentially save a lot of lives.”

Although Iowa State’s research focuses only on vitamin A, HarvestPlus is working on a whole range of nutritional problems, he said.

Iowa State has three researchers involved with the HarvestPlus program.

Steve Rodermel, one of the ISU researchers involved with HarvestPlus, said his lab is making DNA that goes into plants.

Once DNA is produced, it can be placed into maize, said Rodermel, associate dean of genetics, development and cell biology and of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

The maize is then studied for its vitamin A content.

Wendy White, associate professor of food science and human nutrition, said her part of the research involves studying the corn’s beta-carotene, which is converted into vitamin A during digestion.

White said her research specifically examines how much beta-carotene is in the corn and how much is absorbed during digestion.

There is not much variety in African diets, so it is best to fight malnutrition by increasing the nutritional value of staple crops, such as corn, White said.

Seeds for corn with increased beta-carotene will be produced and then distributed to farmers in areas with severe malnutrition, she said.

This type of program is economical because it is a “one-time investment,” she said.

“The thought is that this will reach the rural poor,” White said. “This should be a means to make a major impact on those who have the most need.”