Fortification of cereals with amino acids

Abstract

The grim race between the growth in population and the efforts to maintain, much less to increase, the quantity and quality of the world's per eapita food supply is perhaps the most critical struggle taking place today. Aside from the pressing need for population control, it is perfectly clear that agricultural, economic, cultural, sanitary, and medical problems are all important factors limiting the assurance of adequate nutrition and the maintenance of optimal health. Thus, the problem of malnutritioll is said to be multifaceted or multifactorial. These quite fashionable adjectives really explain nothing; worse, there is the risk of these labels' merely providing a cynical excuse for not vigorously attacking particular aspects of a health problem, assuming this would be a partial solution and even naive. And so it is with malnutrition; a multidisciplinary approach to a multifaeeted problem will doubtless be necessary for the ultimate achievement of optimal health in developing countries. Furthermore, regional differences will make some flexibility necessary in programs aimed at lessening malnutrition in various areas. Since all of the factors involved in bringing about an increase in both quantity and quality as well as better storage and distribution of food supplies are complex, it is also true that we need more research-research into the techniques, and logistics of bringing about agricultural and social change. On the other hand, this ought not to stop us from attempting action now, even though such action be on only a limited facet of the malnutrition problem and so long as we do not delude ourselves into thinking that such action is a