Nutritional and Chemical Quality of Maize Hybrids from Different FAO Maturity Groups Developed and Grown in Serbia

Abstract

Maize is a globally significant cereal crop, contributing to the production of essential food products and serving as a pivotal resource for diverse industrial applications. This study investigated the proximate analysis of maize hybrids from different FAO maturity groups in Serbia, exploring variations in polyphenols, flavonoids, carotenoids, tocopherols, and fatty acids with the aim of understanding how agroecological conditions influence the nutritional potential of maize hybrids. The results indicate substantial variations in nutritional composition and antioxidant properties among different maturity groups. The levels of total polyphenols varied among FAO groups, indicating that specific hybrids may offer greater health benefits. Flavonoids and carotenoids also showed considerable variation, with implications for nutritional quality. Tocopherol content varied significantly, emphasizing the diversity in antioxidant capacity. Fatty acid analysis revealed high levels of unsaturated fatty acids, particularly linoleic acid, indicating favorable nutritional and industrial properties. The study highlights the importance of considering maturity groups in assessing the nutritional potential of maize hybrids.

SNP analysis of Ukrainian maize inbreds with alternative state of molecular carotenogenesis marker crtRB1-3’TE

“…The understanding of the patterns of this distribution would allow the prediction of favorable alleles and the content of carotenoids in breeding material. However, the investigations of maize inbreds from the sub-Saharan tropical zone in Africa, (Maazou et al, 2023, Sserumaga et al 2019, Kondwakwenda et al, 2020, from the Romanian breeding programs (Băcilă et al, 2022), southern European inbreds (Šimić et al, 2023), Serbian inbreds (Djalovic et al, 2024), Ukrainian inbreds (Satarova et al, 2023b) and others did not determine clear regularities in spreading favorable alleles of carotenoid pathway genes. The clustering of the inbreds, conducted in most studies, demonstrated the distribution of favorable alleles of the genes of carotenogenesis among different clusters, which made up the basis for specifi c breeding programs.…”

“…Carotenoids play an important role in the functioning of the digestive and immune systems, vision, and skin; they are antioxidants required for growth and development (Crupi P et al, 2023). The prevailing carotenoids in maize grain are lutein, zeaxanthin, α-and β-carotenes, and α-and β-cryptoxanthins, their number and ratio may vary depending on the maize genotype, environmental conditions, the genotype × environment interaction, the stage of grain maturity, and the degree of substance decomposition during storing (Šimić D et al, 2023;Djalovic et al, 2024). The amount of digestible individual carotenoids in an animal organism increases in the following direction: β-carotene → α-cryptoxanthin → β-cryptoxanthin → lutein → zeaxanthin (Zurak et al, 2024).…”

Assessing Nutritional Characteristics and Bioactive Compound Distribution in Seeds, Oil, and Cake from Confectionary Sunflowers Cultivated in Serbia

“…Total tocopherols were extracted from sunflower seeds and oil under a nitrogen atmosphere using 99% ethanol in the presence of potassium hydroxide. The total phenolic content (TPc) was determined from cake using the Folin–Ciocalteu spectrophotometric method [ 32 , 33 , 34 ] with slight modifications. Sunflower seed extract (0.5 mL) was mixed with doubly distilled water (6.0 mL) and Folin–Ciocalteu’s reagent (0.5 mL) in a 10 mL volumetric flask for 60 s. Then, 15% sodium carbonate solution (2.0 mL) was added, followed by incubation in a dark place for 45 min.…”

“…Quantification utilized a standard calibration curve with chlorogenic acid, and the total phenolic content was expressed as milligrams of chlorogenic acid (CGA) equivalent per kilogram of sample dry weight (mg CGA eq kg −1 ). The total carotenoid content (TC) of cold-pressed sunflower oils was estimated by absorbance measurement at 445 nm, following the procedure described by Djalović et al [ 34 ], and expressed as mg of β-carotene per kg of oil (mg β-C eq kg −1 ). The chlorophyll content of cold-pressed sunflower oils, represented as pheophytin a (mg Phe A eq kg −1 ), was determined by measuring oil absorbance at 667 nm according to the method described by Pokorny et al [ 35 ].…”