Durum Wheat (Triticum durum L.) Landraces Reveal Potential for the Improvement of Grain Carotenoid Esterification in Breeding Programs

Carotenoids are essential in the human diet for their important functions health. Besides, they responsible yellow pigments desirable industrial quality durum wheat. The remarkable carotenoid content of wheat endosperm is mostly due to lutein. However, lutein esters have not been previously detected as other cereals such common wheat, tritordeum or Hordeum chilense. Esterification increases stability and allows greater retention accumulation through food chain. Therefore, esterification revealed a new key target breeding. We characterized profile 156 accessions Spanish collection, searching landraces with ability. Interestingly, four produced monoesters diesters. Also, traces were eleven accessions. identification first ability reported herein advance biofortification. Furthermore, variation relative zeaxanthin, α-carotene β-carotene was also observed. This diversity β,ε β,β branches carotenogenic pathway represents opportunity breeding specific carotenoids biofortification programs.