A DECADE OF IRON BIOFORTIFICATION IN CROPS: BIBLIOMETRIC ANALYSIS OF SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS AND FUTURE PERSPECTIVES

Abstract

Iron (Fe) deficiency disorders are one of the major challenges faced by global nutritional security even after more than six decades of the green revolution in the 1960s. Numerous advancements in medical science and healthcare infrastructure have helped bear the brunt of severe ailments like Fe-deficiency anaemia. However, nutritional enhancement of the food consumed by people remains the primary approach to tackle hidden hunger in the long run. Biofortification of crops is one of the most practically suitable methods to ensure this nutritional enrichment. Several methodologies have been used over the years to achieve this aim including agronomic biofortification, breeding-based crop improvement and genetic-engineering for enhancing the accumulation of Fe in economically important parts of the crop. This review aims to provide a bibliometric overview of the research and development that happened in this field in the last decade. The current work utilized Scopus database as a standard source for collecting authentic documents and shed some light on the trends in the Fe-biofortification research such as the research output, relevant authors, collaborations, countries leading this research domain and the projected future trend for the field of Fe-biofortification. All the analyses were performed with the help of bibliometrix integrated with biblioshiny, a R-code based online platform for easy bibliometric analysis. The PRISMA framework was prepared for the study and finally 822 documents were used for the analysis which revealed a promising future for Fe-biofortification research. Projected trends show an increase in research output till 2030 while the growth in publications eventually saturate in the coming decade.