WHEAT FLOUR COLOUR: IDENTIFICATION OF QTL FOR ENDOSPERM LUTEIN CONTENT AND DEVELOPMENT OF PERFECT MARKERS FOR EPSILON CYCLASE AND PHYTOENE SYNTHASE

摘要

Carotenoids are the second most abundant class of naturally occurring pigments and are found in plants, fungi and bacteria (DellaPenna and Pogson 2006). All carotenoids are derived from phytoene and the majority are C40 polyenes. They play a criticalrole in photosynthesis and Photoprotection (Pogson et al. 2006). In addition to their role in photosynthesis, they aid in plant reproduction with their natural aromas and colours attracting pollinators. They are also essential components of human diets:beta-carotene is a precursor to vitamin A (Yeum and Russell 2002) and lutein and zeaxanthin have been implicated in preventing macular degeneration (Landrum and Bone 2004).