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 accessions produced lutein monoesters and diesters. Also, traces of lutein monoesters were detected in eleven accessions. The identification of the first durum wheat accessions with esterification ability reported herein is a remarkable advance for carotenoid biofortification. Furthermore, variation for the relative content of zeaxanthin, α-carotene and β-carotene was also observed. This diversity for the β,ε and β,β branches of the carotenogenic pathway also represents a new opportunity for breeding for specific carotenoids in biofortification programs.

Genome-Wide Association Analysis for Stem Cross Section Properties, Height and Heading Date in a Collection of Spanish Durum Wheat Landraces

“…The MTAs for stem traits identified in this work that co-locate with previous QTLs can serve as a reference for the development of MAS strategies in wheat breeding. The diversity found in the plant material studied in this work highlights the potential of the plant genetic resources, as reported for other traits [11,12,14,39].…”

“…The Spanish durum wheat genetic resources are conserved at the Centre for Plant Genetic Resources (CRF-INIA). This collection has great genetic diversity for morphological, agronomic and quality traits [11][12][13][14]. Similarly, landraces from the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal) show greater diversity in relation to wheat stem sawfly (WSS, Cephus spp.…”

Marker-Trait Associations for Total Carotenoid Content and Individual Carotenoids in Durum Wheat Identified by Genome-Wide Association Analysis

“…Carotenoids pigments are responsible for the bright yellow color of pasta and other durum wheat-derived products [ 4 ] and the golden color of related cereals such as tritordeum [ 5 ]. Lutein is the main carotenoid in wheat endosperm [ 4 , 5 ], but other carotenoids, including zeaxanthin, α-carotene and β-carotene, are also present [ 6 , 7 , 8 ].…”

A comprehensive review of wheat phytochemicals: From farm to fork and beyond

“…Studies in recent years confirmed that lutein exists in both free and esterified forms in some wheat genotypes and other cereal grains (Paznocht et al, 2018;Requena-Ramírez et al, 2021). According to a recent report, lutein esters were detected in only 11 of 156 durum wheat genotypes (Requena-Ramírez et al, 2021), though they were more common in bread wheat and spelt wheat genotypes (Ziegler et al, 2015). Transition from free lutein to ester-linked lutein during long-term storage was also reported (Mellado-Ortega & Hornero-Méndez, 2017).…”

“…Carotenoids in ester-linked forms with fatty acids (such as palmitic, stearic, oleic, and linolenic acids) were reported more than 50 years ago (Lepage & Sims, 1968). Studies in recent years confirmed that lutein exists in both free and esterified forms in some wheat genotypes and other cereal grains (Paznocht et al, 2018;Requena-Ramírez et al, 2021). According to a recent report, lutein esters were detected in only 11 of 156 durum wheat genotypes (Requena-Ramírez et al, 2021), though they were more common in bread wheat and spelt wheat genotypes (Ziegler et al, 2015).…”