Effect of Cultivar and Environment on Carotenoid Profile of Pea and Chickpea

Increasing the carotenoid concentration of pulse crop seeds is part of a biofortification strategy. The objective of this research was to evaluate the concentration and distribution of carotenoids in the seeds of twelve pea (Pisum sativum L.) cultivars and eight chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) cultivars grown at multiple locations during 2 yr in Saskatchewan, Canada using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with a diode array detector. Lutein was the major carotenoid in both crops, with mean lutein concentration ranging from 7.2 mu g g(-1) to 17.6 mu g g(-1) and 6.3 mu g g(-1) to 11.0 mu g g(-1) in pea and chickpea, respectively. Violaxanthin, zeaxanthin, and beta-carotene were also present in both crops. Green cotyledon pea cultivars had approximately twice as many total carotenoids (16-21 mu g g(-1)) than yellow cotyledon pea cultivars (7-12 mu g g(-1)). Cultivar had a greater effect than environment on carotenoid concentration in both crops. Location effects were significant for violaxanthin, lutein, and total carotenoid concentration for pea and for violaxanthin and zeaxanthin in chickpea. Year effect was significant for all carotenoids in pea and significant for b-carotene in chickpea. The cultivar x location interaction was significant for violaxanthin in pea and chickpea and for lutein in pea. Among the three seed tissues, carotenoid concentration was greatest in the cotyledon followed by the embryo axis and seed coat in both crops. The results of this investigation should be useful for improving nutritional quality in pulse crops.