Journal of Energy Bioscience 2025, Vol.16, No.3, 139-150 http://bioscipublisher.com/index.php/jeb 139 CaseStudy Open Access Development of Iron-Enriched Wheat Through Biofortification Shujuan Wang1 , Wenyu Yang 2 1 Hainan Provincial Key Laboratory of Crop Molecular Beeding , Sanya, 572025, Hainan, China; 2 Cuixi Academy of Biotechnology, Zhuji, 311800, Zhejiang, China Corresponding email: shujuan.wang@hitar.org Journal of Energy Bioscience, 2025, Vol.16, No.3 doi: 10.5376/jeb.2025.16.0014 Received: 10 Apr., 2025 Accepted: 26 May, 2025 Published: 09 Jun., 2025 Copyright ©2025 Wang and Yang, This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Preferred citation for this article: Wang S.J., and Yang W.Y., 2025, Development of iron-enriched wheat through biofortification, Journal of Energy Bioscience, 16(3): 140-151 (doi: 10.5376/jeb.2025.16.0014) Abstract This study systematically explored the feasibility of using sorghum as a fuel ethanol feedstock. We analyzed different sorghum varieties, waste left in the field, and byproducts from the production process, including their physical and chemical properties, how to pre-treat them, and subsequent fermentation methods. The results showed that sorghum is high-yielding, drought-resistant, and highly adaptable. It can be grown in many climates, making it very suitable for producing bioethanol. We also looked at several common pre-treatment methods, such as organic solvents, alkali solutions, or enzymes. They can greatly improve the efficiency of sugar release and ethanol production. Some treatment methods can also use byproducts from biodiesel production, which can further save money. In addition to sorghum itself, its waste and some byproducts in the field can also be effectively used to make fuel ethanol, so as not to compete with food crops for resources. Economic analysis also shows that if we control the amount of enzymes used and use byproducts, we can make the price of sorghum ethanol more competitive. There is hope for sorghum to be made into bioethanol. It is not only technically feasible, but also has the potential to develop into an industry. Keywords Potato cultivation; Sustainable agriculture; Environmental impact; Genetic origin; Case study 1 Introduction Many people around the world are now deficient in micronutrients, especially iron. Iron deficiency anemia has become a serious public health problem. This problem is most common among women and children in developing countries (Taskın and Gunes, 2022; Gupta et al., 2024; Tanin et al., 2024). Iron deficiency is not only harmful to the body, but also affects intellectual development. People's work efficiency becomes lower and their quality of life also declines. Therefore, how to get everyone to consume more iron is an important task in global nutrition work (Gupta et al., 2024; Tanin et al., 2024). Biofortification is a way to improve the nutrition of staple food. There are two main ways: one is agronomic measures, such as fertilization, leaf spraying, and seed treatment; the other is through breeding, such as traditional breeding, molecular breeding, and the newer gene editing (Ludwig and Slamet-Loedin, 2019; Zulfiqar et al., 2020; Tanin et al., 2024; Gupta et al., 2024; Zhou et al., 2024). Compared with taking nutritional supplements or fortified foods, biofortification is to add nutrients when planting. This method is more cost-effective and more sustainable, especially for areas with fewer resources (Ludwig and Slamet-Loedin, 2019; Gupta et al., 2024; Tanin et al., 2024). Scientists have also found that using microorganisms to help crops absorb iron is also an environmentally friendly and effective new method (Shi et al., 2020; Sun et al., 2021). Wheat is one of the most important grains in the world. It is grown in Asia, Africa, Europe and America. Many people get their daily energy and protein from wheat (Ludwig and Slamet-Loedin, 2019; Gupta et al., 2024; Tanin et al., 2024). But the problem now is that most wheat varieties do not have high iron content. Iron is mainly concentrated in the bran, and many people eat processed white flour, which loses a lot of iron. Therefore, people who eat wheat for a long time are more likely to be iron deficient (Ludwig and Slamet-Loedin, 2019; Gupta et al., 2024). Increasing the iron content in wheat grains and making it easier for the human body to absorb this iron are the keys to solving the problem of iron deficiency (Ludwig and Slamet-Loedin, 2019; Gupta et al., 2024; Tanin et al., 2024).
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