Perspectivas futuras de la biofortificación de alimentos: la asociación con microorganismos del suelo

The problem of food insufficiency and insecurity affects close to 1 billion people worldwide, frequently due to the deficiency of essential mineral elements present in food, such as iron, copper, iodine, selenium and zinc. In addition, the low fertility of soils affects the mobility of nutrients in the soil and the dynamics of plant absorption, directly influencing their production, crop quality and the inadequate nutritional balance of the population. A viable strategy to face this problem is crop biofortification, which aims to improve the nutritional status and value of crops by producing foods with high nutritional value in mineral elements that are deficient in the diet of the world's population. This review article is an analysis of what biofortification implies, its current context and the initiatives of international programs, institutions and policies for the improvement of nutrition, food security and public health. The future perspectives of biofortification explored in this review revolve around the enrichment of natural compounds in vegetables and fruits, as well as the feasibility of biofortification of alternative crops due to their profitability, nutritional value and their good acceptance in the market for human consumption. The analysis of future perspectives and recent advances in this lines of research, focused on obtaining strategies that increase mineral absorption and bioavailability in the plant to achieve greater benefit, the practice of applying soil microorganisms (arbuscular mycorrhizae and plant growth promoting bacteria) is emerging as the strategy with greater accessibility to the farmer at all levels of production, cost reduction and increased yields, while improving various nutritional characteristics of food.