Increased anthocyanin content in purple pericarp x blue aleurone wheat crosses

Due to their antioxidant activity, anthocyanins are of increasing interest for nutritionists, food scientists and plant breeders. Anthocyanins in wheat grains are expressed in either the pericarp or aleurone layer. Previous studies revealed that different anthocyanins are present in wheat varieties carrying genes for either the purple pericarp or the blue aleurone trait. Progeny from crosses between red-, purple- and blue-grained wheat varieties were selected over several cycles for grain colour by visual scoring. Bulked F-5 grains were evaluated for their total anthocyanin content by UV-VIS spectrophotometry and HPLC-MS. The results demonstrate that it is possible to increase the anthocyanin content by the combination of the different genetic backgrounds for purple pericarp and blue aleurone, even though the majority of progeny were within the range of the purple- and blue-grained check varieties. Visual scoring for grain colour is efficient, reliable and fast for selection in early breeding generations. Advanced breeding lines with high anthocyanin content can be identified by simple extraction methods and spectrophotometric measurements.