Affiliations: Plant Research International, Wageningen, The
Netherlands | Institute of Botany, University of Belgrade,
Serbia | Department of Plant Physiology, Wageningen University,
The Netherlands | Centre for BioSystems Genomics, Wageningen, The
Netherlands | Danisco Innovation, Copenhagen, Denmark | Danisco Flavours, Wellingborough, UK
Note: [] Address for correspondence: J. Beekwilder, Plant Research
International, P.O. Box 16, 6700 AA Wageningen, The Netherlands. Tel.: +31 317
480979; Fax: +31 317 418094; E-mail: [email protected]
Abstract: Carotenoids are important lipophilic antioxidants in fruits.
Apocarotenoids such as α-ionone and β-ionone, which are breakdown products of carotenoids, are important
for the flavor characteristics of raspberry fruit, and have also been suggested
to have beneficial effects on human health. Raspberry is one of the few fruits
where fruit ripening is accompanied by the massive production of
apocarotenoids. In this paper, changes in levels of carotenoids and
apocarotenoids during raspberry fruit ripening are described. In addition, the
isolation and characterization of a gene encoding a carotenoid cleavage
dioxygenase (CCD), which putatively mediates the degradation of carotenoids to
apocarotenoids during raspberry fruit ripening, is reported. Such information
helps us to better understand how these compounds are produced in plants and
may also enable us to develop novel strategies for improved apocarotenoid
production in fruits or indeed, alternative production systems.
