Rwanda uses x-ray technology to identify nutritious crops

SciDev.Net : Agricultural researchers in Rwanda are using x-ray fluorescence (XRF) to determine the mineral content of food crops, writes Aimable Twahirwa for SciDev.Net. In XRF analysis, atoms of a food sample are excited with high-energy, short-wavelength radiation to identify various elements such as iron and zinc and determine their concentration. Of the 15 samples of bio-fortified beans the Rwandan team analyzed, they found 4 to be particularly rich in minerals. The main purpose of the process, which is not only quick but also cheap and nondestructive, is to identify and promote production of nutritious staple foods to reduce “hidden hunger"âmdash;the lack of dietary vitamins and minerals. In Rwanda, more than half the children under the age of five and a third of the women are anemic.