According to the latest FAO report on the state of food security and nutrition in
the world (1), more than 720 million people faced hunger, and around 3 billion people
did not have access to a healthy diet. All these problematics, exacerbated by the current
COVID-19 crisis, led to an increase in the number of people affected by the so-called
hidden hunger, caused by an inadequate intake of essential micronutrients (MNs) such
as iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), selenium (Se) and provitamin A. Biofortification, intended as
the improvement of the nutritional quality of food crops through either conventional
breeding, agronomic practices ormodern biotechnologies, represents a sustainable, costeffective
and long-term approach to alleviate micronutrient-deficiency. Staple crops are
typically the major target of most biofortification studies, given their central role in
human diet. Wheat, specifically, contributes to around 20% of the total energy and
protein intake and to around 30% of the Fe and Zn intake worldwide. However, the
current level of MNs present in most wheat-derived food products is not enough to
meet the minimum daily intake, especially in the poorest regions of the world. For
these reasons, continuing to work on wheat biofortification is fundamental to ensure
the production of nutritious and sustainable food and to contribute to the reduction of
MNs deficiency
