Adoption of maize varieties with higher iron contents and more effective absorptivity achieved by genetic improvement is being given great attention to minimize iron malnutrition among marginalized poor farmers whom rely heavily on cereals as staple food. In this project, the germplasm background of iron content of 400 inbred lines, 300 hybrids and 100 open pollinated varieties (OPVs) of maize will be characterized by atom absorption spectrometer; and rich iron inbred lines and hybrids will be identified. In vitro bioavailability of iron in rich iron maize hybrids or OPVs is to be analyzed by using human Caco-2 cell line. The efficacy trials demonstrating that iron status can be improved will be initiated though consumption of rich iron maize food in Hongkui village, Tiandeng county, Guangxi Autonomous Region, where 120 villagers will be randomly divided into 2 groups for nutritive evaluation. Based on the project, the iron content of maize germplasm and other relative nutritional indexes in China will be investigated, and 1-2 maize varieties with higher iron contents will be selected for dissemination. Finally the biofortified maize varieties will be confirmed as an available approach to minimize the iron malnutrition status among the population on cereals as staple food.