For the past decades food security, that is producing enough food, was the main motivation of many scientific papers in agronomy and fundamental plant science. Food security has become a global concern due to population increase and the current impact of climate change on agriculture. Although this focus on produce quantity is of utmost importance and perfectly justifiable, nutritional quality is rarely the target of food production, breeding programs and plant research. The purpose of food production should of course be more than the provision of just quantity and calories. Food ought to provide the proper nutritional quality to allow each person to reach their full intellectual and physical potential (Sands et al. 2009).
In both low-income and high-income countries malnutrition is a serious issue. That is, more than half of humanity suffers micronutrient undernourishment (UN Standing Committee on Nutrition 2004). The main deficiencies identified are: iron, vitamin A, Iodine, folate and Zinc. These deficiencies can cause very serious health problems ranging from fatigue to death (§2.3). Sufficient amounts of phytochemicals and minerals will beneficially affect human metabolism and well-being in general (Ferrari and Torres 2003). Phytochemicals are an important source of antioxidant molecules (e.g., phenolic acids, flavonoids, anthocyanins, glucosinolates, tocopherols and carotenoids) and together with ample plant mineral intake they are able to reduce the risk of noncommunicable diseases, e.g. cardiovascular diseases and specific forms of cancer, while they stimulate cognitive health (Slavin and Lloyd 2012).
One way of food crop fortification is to genetically enhance phytochemical synthesis or mineral uptake and partitioning. Another way is to apply agronomic practices that allow for higher nutritional value. When facilities and capital are available, indoor crop cultivation provides the best control over produce quantity and quality using a low water, fertilizer and crop protection chemicals footprint. By steering the environmental conditions, a substantial manipulation of the chemical composition and bioactive profile of crops can be achieved.
The document reads as follows: this first chapter contains a table with definitions of both abbreviations and terminology used in this project (Table 1.1). Additionally, the WURKS consortium of companies, government organs, university lecturers and professors has together established a list of currently most interesting phytochemicals and minerals from both plant and human nutritional aspects that should be studied in this WURKS project (Table 1.2). In Chapter two aspects of human nutrition are discussed in relation to the nutrients presented in Table 1.2. In Chapter three the same nutrients from Table 1.2 will be discussed from a plant perspective. In Chapter four a global guideline is provided on how to measure phytochemicals and minerals in plants. In Chapter five a general discussion on the effects of environmental conditions on plant growth is provided and in the effects of fertilizers and light are discussed in more detail and illustrated with practical examples. Chapter six will summarise our main finding and provide an outlook for future research.
This document contains background information, i.e. lecture notes, of the developed PowerPoint presentations which accompany each chapter. All content can be found on the website of “Groen Kennis Net”(GKN).