Iron and zinc have several functions in the human body and their deficiency lead to severe consequences, with great impact on health and economic development of countries (HUNT, 2005) . Iron deficiency is the most common nutritional disorder, affecting approximately 4 to 5 billion people, or 66 to 80% of world population, particularly those in high risk groups such as children, pregnant women, nursing mothers and elders (WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION, 2002, WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION; WORLD FOOD

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... RAMM; UNITED NATIONS CHILDRENS FUND, 2007) and there is a high prevalence of zinc deficiency, with billions of people at risk, particularly in developing countries (MARET; SANDSTEAD, 2006) . Low cost and relatively simple strategies have been proposed and adopted in an attempt to reduce the occurrence of mineral deficiencies such as, provision of medical supplements, fortification of foods and post-harvest change in eating habits (OSENDARP et al., 2003; DAVIDSSON; NESTEL, 2004) . However, for communities in areas without marketing infrastructure or health system, these interventions have not always been successful. An alternative approach is to increase mineral concentrations in through Biofortification of edible crops. There is considerable genetic variation in crop species that can be harnessed for sustainable biofortification strategies (WHITE; BROADLEY, 2005). Resumo Objetivou-se caracterizar 22 linhagens tropicais de milho, de diferentes origens genéticas, quanto à disponibilidade de Zn e de Fe, por meio das razões molares ácido fítico/Zn e ácido fítico/Fe. Os teores de Zn e Fe foram determinados por espectrofotometria de absorção atômica e os de P por colorimetria. Três métodos de triagem para análise dos teores de ácido fítico (AF) foram testados e um, baseado na reação com 2,2'-bipiridina, foi selecionado. Observou-se variabilidade significativa nos teores de Zn (17,5 a 42 mg.kg - ),