title: Intraspecific Variation in Carotenoids of Brassica oleracea var. sabellica.
abstract: Carotenoids are best known as a source of natural antioxidants. Physiologically, carotenoids are part of the photoprotection in plants as they act as scavengers of reactive oxygen species (ROS). An important source of carotenoids in European food is Brassica oleracea. Focusing on the most abundant carotenoids, we estimated the contents of ß-carotene, (9Z)-neoxanthin, zeaxanthin, and lutein as well as those of chlorophylls a and b to assess their variability in Brassica oleracea var. sabellica. Our analyses included more than 30 cultivars categorized in five distinct sets grouped according to morphological characteristics or geographical origin. Our results demonstrated specific carotenoid patterns characteristic for American, Italian, and red-colored kale cultivars. Moreover, we demonstrated a tendency of high zeaxanthin proportions under traditional harvest conditions, which accord to low-temperature regimes. We also compared the carotenoid patterns of self-generated hybrid lines. Corresponding findings indicated that crossbreeding has a high potential for carotenoid content optimization in kale.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biology and Environmental Sciences, Carl von Ossietzky University , Oldenburg Carl von Ossietzky Str. 9-11, 26129 Oldenburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Vera
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Mageney
authors.affiliation: Leibniz-Institute of Vegetables and Ornamental Crops Grossbeeren/Erfurt e. V. , Theodor-Echtermeyer-Weg 1, 14979 Grossbeeren, Germany.|Institute of Nutritional Science, University of Potsdam , Arthur-Scheunert-Allee 114-116, 14558 Nuthetal, Germany.
authors.forename: Susanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Baldermann
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biology and Environmental Sciences, Carl von Ossietzky University , Oldenburg Carl von Ossietzky Str. 9-11, 26129 Oldenburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Dirk C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Albach
mesh_terms: D001937:Brassica / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000145:classification / Q000378:metabolism; D002338:Carotenoids / Q000032:analysis*; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000378:metabolism; D013045:Species Specificity
chemical_list: D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; D002338:Carotenoids
keywords: (9Z)-neoxanthin; Brassica oleracea var. sabellica; low temperature; lutein; zeaxanthin; ß-carotene