Effects of metaxenia on the carbohydrate and mogroside content and related enzyme activities in Siraitia grosvenorii fruit

Abstract

The fruits of Siraitia grosvenorii have been used as a natural sweetening agent for centuries and have also been reported to aid diabetic patients. Mogroside V is the primary sweet compound in S. grosvenorii fruit. In this study, we show that different pollen sources had a direct influence on the mogroside V content in S. grosvenorii fruit. The changes in the activities of carbohydrate metabolism-related enzymes during fruit development were examined, as well as the results of linear regression analysis of mogroside V and variables such as the carbohydrate content and activities of related enzymes. This indicated that sucrose metabolism was significantly correlated with mogroside V contents, and higher sucrose accumulation results in higher mogroside V levels. In addition, our results revealed an obvious effect of metaxenia on carbohydrate accumulation, sucrose and starch metabolism-related enzyme activities, which revealed the reason for the effect of metaxenia on the accumulation of mogroside V in S. grosvenorii fruit. These results suggest that the effects of metaxenia should be considered in future breeding programs.