Mutation increasing ?-carotene concentrations does not adversely affect concentrations of essential mineral elements in pepper fruit.

ABSTRACT: Vitamin and mineral deficiencies are prevalent in human populations throughout the world. Vitamin A deficiency affects hundreds of millions of pre-school age children in low income countries. Fruits of pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) can be a major dietary source of precursors to Vitamin A biosynthesis, such as ?-carotene. Recently, pepper breeding programs have introduced the orange-fruited (of) trait of the mutant variety Oranzheva kapiya, which is associated with high fruit ?-carotene concentrations, to the mutant variety Albena. In this manuscript, concentrations of ?-carotene and mineral elements (magnesium, phosphorus, sulphur, potassium, zinc, calcium, manganese, iron and copper) were compared in fruit from P31, a red-fruited genotype derived from the variety Albena, and M38, a genotype developed by transferring the orange-fruited mutation (of) into Albena. It was observed that fruit from M38 plants had greater ?-carotene concentration at both commercial and botanical maturity (4.9 and 52.7 mg / kg fresh weight, respectively) than fruit from P31 plants (2.3 and 30.1 mg / kg fresh weight, respectively). The mutation producing high ?-carotene concentrations in pepper fruits had no detrimental effect on the concentrations of mineral elements required for human nutrition.

SUBMITTER: Tomlekova NB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5313226 | biostudies-literature | 2017

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature