Durum Wheat (Triticum durum L.) Landraces Reveal Potential for the Improvement of Grain Carotenoid Esterification in Breeding Programs.

ABSTRACT: Carotenoids are essential in the human diet for their important functions in health. Besides, they are responsible for the yellow pigments desirable for industrial quality in durum wheat. The remarkable carotenoid content of durum wheat endosperm is mostly due to lutein. However, lutein esters have not been previously detected in durum wheat as in other cereals such as common wheat, tritordeum or Hordeum chilense. Esterification increases carotenoid stability and allows greater retention and accumulation through the food chain. Therefore, carotenoid esterification is revealed as a new key target in breeding. We characterized the carotenoid profile of 156 accessions of the Spanish durum wheat collection, searching for landraces with esterification ability. Interestingly, four accessi

SUBMITTER: Requena-Ramirez MD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8067221 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature