Profiling and Quantification of Anthocyanins in Novel Purple-Pericarp Sweetcorn and Purple-Pericarp Maize

Abstract Anthocyanins, secondary metabolites of pigmented corns consisting of cyanidin-, pelargonidin- and peonidin-based glucoside. While cyanidin-peonidin types are responsible for purple-pigmentation, pelargonidin type is responsible for red-pigmentation. This study examined anthocyanin concentrations in a novel purple-pericarp shrunken2 sweetcorn ‘Tim’ lines in comparison to the parental purple-pericarp ‘Costa Rica’ maize’ and white sweetcorn ‘Tims-white’ lines. The study found similar concentrations of anthocyanin in both ‘Tim1’ and the ‘Costa Rica’, at sweetcorn eating stage, whereas ‘Tims-white’ has no detectable anthocyanin. Total anthocyanins found in the ‘Costa Rica’ and ‘Tim1’, ‘Tim2’, ‘Tim4’ and ‘Tim5’ lines were 255.79, 253.03, 238.10, 198.66, and 221.36 mg/100 g FW (fresh weight), respectively. In all the developed purple-sweetcorn ‘Tim’ lines along with the purple maize parent, the cyanidin-peonidin (purple) proportion of total anthocyanin was 78-93%, as the predominant anthocyanin pigment. The anthocyanin concentration in ‘Tim1’ at eating stage was significantly much higher than currently exists with other coloured fruits.