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Carotenoids in cereals: an ancient resource with present and future applications

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Abstract

Cereals are considered to be a major source of carbohydrates and proteins as well as minor micronutrients such as minerals, vitamins and antioxidants, including carotenoids. Carotenoids are natural lipophilic pigments biosynthesized mainly by plants, and certain bacteria and fungi. Cereals, although having a low carotenoid content when compared with the majority of fruits and vegetables, may have an important impact in the nutritional status of consumers. The daily consumption of cereals, and products derived from them, by a large part of the population, especially in under-developed and developing countries, makes cereals a contributor of carotenoids which should not be overlooked and must be taken into consideration in biofortification strategies. In the present manuscript, we revise the existing information about the composition and distribution of carotenoids in cereals, highlighting factors which alter their profile, such as domestication of wild varieties, genotype, storage, milling and processing techniques. Strategies for stimulating the carotenoid content in cereals, either by means of traditional breeding methods or by genetic manipulation, are also discussed.

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Abbreviations

AMD:

Age-related macular degeneration

MAS:

Marker assisted selection

PSY:

Phytoene synthase gene

QTL:

Quantitative trait locus

ROS:

Reactive oxygen species

XAT:

Xanthophyll acyltransferase

YPC:

Yellow pigment content

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by funding from the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (Spanish Government, Projects AGL2010-14850/ALI and AGL2014-53195R). EMO was the recipient of a JAE-Predoctoral grant (CSIC) co-financed by the ESF. Authors are members of the IBERCAROT Network, funded by CYTED (ref. 112RT0445).

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  1. Group of Chemistry and Biochemistry of Pigments, Food Phytochemistry Department, Instituto de la Grasa (CSIC), Pablo de Olavide University Campus, Ctra. de Utrera km. 1, 41013, Seville, Spain

    Elena Mellado-Ortega & Dámaso Hornero-Méndez

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  1. Elena Mellado-Ortega
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Correspondence to Dámaso Hornero-Méndez.

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Mellado-Ortega, E., Hornero-Méndez, D. Carotenoids in cereals: an ancient resource with present and future applications. Phytochem Rev 14, 873–890 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11101-015-9423-3

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