The emerging research direction is focused on improving grain nutritional quality through biofortification with anthocyanins, bioactive pigments characterized by strong antioxidant properties. The aim of the work was to reveal the peculiarities of breeding wheat varieties with colored (purple, blue, black) grains based on the content of bioactive components of colored pigments-antioxidants anthocyanins and carotenoids with high antioxidant activity, involve various sources of bioactive pigments in crossbreeding, select elite plants in populations, evaluate promising material with colored grains, and develop new varieties. Crossbreeding of sources of bioactive components with a series of wheat varieties, selection of elite material according to target grain color characteristics, combining target genes that determine grain pigmentation and its technological and baking properties has been carried out. The first varieties of bread wheat and spelt wheat with colored grains have been produced in Ukraine. For the first time, functional whole grain products made from colored wheat and spelt wheat flour with 100 % natural dark brown color have been obtained on the Ukrainian food market. Through crossbreeding sources of bioactive pigments anthocyanins and carotenoids, several hundred populations have been obtained, and promising breeding material has been selected for the development of wheat varieties with black (blue+purple) grains. The breeding of wheat varieties with colored grains is a rather complex technology and involves a number of important features in obtaining and selecting material with different colors and shades of grain. Successful work on the establishment of wheat varieties with colored grains and high grain productivity as well as quality requires the involvement of a large amount of diverse genetic material in terms of grain color, agronomic and technological characteristics.
Keywords: wheat, colored (blue, purple, black) grain, anthocyanins, carotenoids, biofortification
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