Research Article Received: 20 August 2010 Revised: 23 January 2011 Accepted: 27 January 2011 Published online in Wiley Online Library: (wileyonlinelibrary.com) DOI 10.1002/jsfa.4346 Carotenoid and anthocyanin contents of grains of Brazilian maize landraces Shirley Kuhnen, a* Priscilla Maria Menel Lemos, b Luciano Henrique Campestrini, b Juliana Bernardi Ogliari, b Paulo Fernando Dias c and Marcelo Maraschin b Abstract BACKGROUND: Carotenoid and anthocyanin contents of 26 maize landraces cultivated in southern Brazil were determined to evaluate their potential as natural colorants or functional food ingredients. RESULTS: The major carotenoids detected in the whole grain flour were zeaxanthin and lutein. Anthocyanins of landraces with purple starchy endosperm (Lingua de Papagaio and Mato Grosso Palha Roxa) were more extractable in methanol–HCl (1%, v/v), exhibiting 2.45 and 0.94 g kg -1 of whole grains flour, respectively. In contrast, butanol– HCl (30%, v/v) was more effective for the extraction of anthocyanins from the purple-colored landraces Roxo 29 and Roxo 41; genotypes with pigments localized in the outer parts (pericarp) of grains (2.60 and 2.19 g kg -1 ). The Roxo 41 landrace showed the highest concentration of pigments, e.g. 11.72 10 -3 g kg -1 of total carotenoids and 2.16 g kg -1 of total anthocyanins. Similarly, the yellow-colored MPA 1 and the purple-colored Roxo 29 landraces showed prominent amounts of carotenoids (10.86 10 -3 g kg -1 ) and anthocyanins (2.60 g kg -1 ), respectively. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that the colored grains of maize landraces studied may hold promise for the development of grain-based functional foods or natural colorants regarding their carotenoid and anthocyanin contents and as genetic resource in breeding programs. c  2011 Society of Chemical Industry Keywords: maize landraces; carotenoids; anthocyanins; pigmented maize; functional foods INTRODUCTION More than half of the global plant-derived energy intake is provided by wheat, rice and maize. 1 Given the importance of a relatively small number of crops for global food security, it is partic- ularly important that the diversity within major crops is conserved effectively. However, nowadays very few of the world’s maize germplasm, for example, consist of local varieties (landraces), showing the genetic vulnerability of those cereal species. Developing countries, such as Brazil, still keep a quite interesting diversity of maize genotypes (i.e. landraces) in some locations In this case, such an agro-ecologically productive system is character- ized by a low level of energy input and the cultivation of seeds pro- duced and selected by small farmers over generations. In addition, in a meaningful number of cases the maize culture is the livelihood for many small farmers in southern Brazil. 2 In the far-west region of Santa Catarina State (southern Brazil) the occurrence of more than 30 maize landraces with distinct agronomic and nutritional traits has been registered so far. Of interest, Anchieta county (26 ◦ 31 ′ 11 ′′ S, 53 ◦ 20 ′ 26 ′′ W; 229.53 km 2 ) is a strategic field for studies of genetic diversity and phytochemical exploitation, because around 40.61% of the farmers cultivate maize landraces. 2,3 However, all over the world maize landraces, still little known, have been threatened with extinction due to the low aggregated value of maize’s raw materials and the low economic return earned by farmers. Nowadays, agro-ecologically systems based on diversity provide a range of products with multiple uses, including varied foods and medicines. In addition, the use of a wide diversity of crop varieties is also recognized as important from a nutritional perspective, by adding valuable secondary metabolites to the diet. 4–6 Although starch and proteins are the major compounds of maize grains, several others substances produced by secondary metabolism, such as carotenoids and anthocyanins, have been found, mainly in creoles genotypes. 5,7,8 These compounds are pigments with biosynthetic pathways restricted to the Plant Kingdom and are of growing interest for performing bioactive properties which are beneficial to human health. Further, ∗ Correspondence to: Shirley Kuhnen, Departamento de Zootecnia e Desenvolvi- mento Rural, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, P.O. Box 476, 88040-970, Florianopolis-SC, Brasil. E-mail: shirley@cca.ufsc.br a Department of Zootechny and Rural Development, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC), P.O. Box 476, 88040-970, Florianopolis-SC, Brazil b Plant Morphogenesis and Biochemistry Laboratory, Department of Plant Science – Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC), P.O. Box 476, 88040-970 Florianopolis-SC, Brazil c Department of Cell Biology, Embriology and Genetics – UFSC, P.O. Box 476, 88040-970, Florianopolis-SC, Brazil J Sci Food Agric (2011) www.soci.org c  2011 Society of Chemical Industry