Identification of superior Cinnamomum zeylanicum Blume germplasm for future true cinnamon breeding in the world

Cinnamomum zeylanicum Blume, commonly known as Ceylon cinnamon or true cinnamon has gained worldwide attention than ever due to recent scientific pieces of evidence on its health benefits and medicinal applications. Ceylon cinnamon consists of a higher concentration of beneficial chemical compounds, superior flavor and taste while having a minimum amount of harmful coumarin. Our study focused on morphological, yield and biochemical characterization of the largest C. zeylanicum germplasm in the world. Of the 515 accessions characterized separately for bark and leaf chemical composition using methanol extracts, the majority had above-average values of bark cinnamaldehyde and leaf eugenol. Interestingly, more than 70 % of bark and more than 90 % of leaf samples did not have a detectable amount of coumarin. The overall average coumarin content in methanol extracts of bark and leaf was 0.010 mg/g and 0.004 mg/g respectively. The large-scale chemical fingerprinting work confirmed the superiority of Ceylon cinnamon. After a comprehensive analysis considering 25 different traits, 16 superior genotype accessions were identified as parental materials for immediate breeding attempts and or to release to the farmers after mass propagation.

Automated summary

The study focused on the morphological, yield, and biochemical characterization of the largest Ceylon cinnamon germplasm in the world, revealing that most samples had above-average chemical composition and almost no coumarin content. This research identified 16 superior genotype accessions for immediate breeding or release to farmers after mass propagation.