Biofortified corn and eggs retain nutrient needed to prevent blindness.

Biofortified corn and eggs retain nutrient needed to prevent blindness. Fortified and biofortified foods are at the forefront of efforts to combat vitamin A deficiency worldwide. But little is known about what influence processing may have on the retention of vitamin A precursors in these foods. Now in a study appearing in ACS Omega, scientists report that a high percentage of these healthful substances -- in some cases, almost all -- can survive cooking, depending on the preparation method. Vitamin A deficiency is a common problem in Africa and Southeast Asia, causing an estimated 250,000 to 500,000 children to become permanently blind each year. Vitamin supplementation has helped. But scientists are also investigating ways to produce hybrid crops, such as corn, that contain more carotenoids, which are vitamin A-precursors that the body uses to manufacture the vitamin itself. Eggs are another source of these carotenoids, and researchers are attempting to boost the amount of these compounds in yolks