Ricerc@Sapienza

In this study the native carotenoids composition in kumquat (Fortunella margarita) (peel + pulp) from Brazil was determined for the first time by a HPLC-DAD-APCI/MS (high performance liquid chromatography-diode array detector-atmospheric pressure chemical ionization/mass spectrometry), methodology. Eleven carotenoids were successfully identified and quantified in kumquat: four carotenoids in the free form and seven carotenoids in the esterified form.

In some varieties of citrus, exceptionally low fruit acidity is associated with absence of anthocyanin pigments in leaves and flowers and proanthocyanidins in seeds. Taking advantage of natural variation, Butelli et al. show that this pleiotropic phenotype is the result of mutations in a single gene, Noemi, encoding a bHLH transcription factor. In citrus, the production of anthocyanin pigments requires the activity of the transcriptional activator Ruby. Consequently, loss-of-function mutations in Ruby result in an anthocyaninless phenotype [1].