Abstract
The increasing on the levels of carotenoids in staple foods of broad human consumption is one of the strategies of food biofortification programs, mainly due to the importance of these compounds to human health on the prevention of vitamin A deficiency. Maize is a major staple food due to its high consumption in regions where problems of Vitamin A deficiency are of great relevance. Maize biofortification programs have made progress in determining the amounts of carotenoids in grain of thousands of accesses. This work aimed at studying the influence of the color of the grains in the profile of carotenoids in four different Brazilian genotypes. The selection of ears within the same genotype was based on a color scale, considering the lighter (lightest yellow) in one group and the most colorful (darkest orange) in another group. Significant interactions (p 0.05) between the color of the grains and the genotypes for all the variables were detected in addition to genetic variability for both groups (lightest yellow and darkest orange). The colored ears of corn showed a high level of total carotenoids (TC) and fractions in RS 535 and RS 445, and the colorful ears of genotype RS 535 showed 300% more α + β carotenes (μg·g-1) in relation to lighter of this same material. The results of this study showed the influence of genotype on the grain color and content of carotenoids, indicating that breeders have the flexibility to make selection of some genotypes based on grain color, reducing cost and time compared to laboratory methods used for the screening of genetic materials.
Highlights
Carotenoids are a family of more than 600 liposoluble compounds found in plants, microorganisms, animals and some invertebrates [1]
The carotenoids present in corn grain are classified into carotenes (β-caroteno e α-caroteno) and xanthophylls, with higher concentrations of lutein and zeaxanthin compared to other carotenoids [9]
Phenotypic variability was observed among genotypes for the levels of total carotenoids (TC) and some fractions for both lightest yellow and darkest orange ears
Summary
Carotenoids are a family of more than 600 liposoluble compounds found in plants, microorganisms, animals and some invertebrates [1]. About 50 carotenoids have pro-vitamin A activity, and the β-carotene has the highest activity [2] and for this reason, has been considered as a compound of interest in breeding programs for generation of biofortified crops, especially in edible portions of these plants. These compounds have great importance for human health, acting in mechanisms related to cancer, cardiovascular disease and macular degeneration prevention in humans as well as vitamin A deficiency [3]-[6]. This study was conducted to evaluate the association between color kernel intensity and the profile of carotenoids of importance for human nutrition
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