AUTHOR=Bernardi Jamila , Stagnati Lorenzo , Lucini Luigi , Rocchetti Gabriele , Lanubile Alessandra , Cortellini Carolina , De Poli Giovanni , Busconi Matteo , Marocco Adriano 

TITLE=Phenolic Profile and Susceptibility to Fusarium Infection of Pigmented Maize Cultivars

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Plant Science

VOLUME=9

YEAR=2018

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/articles/10.3389/fpls.2018.01189

DOI=10.3389/fpls.2018.01189

ISSN=1664-462X

ABSTRACT=<p>Maize is a staple food source in the world, whose ancient varieties or landraces are receiving a growing attention. In this work, two Italian maize cultivars with pigmented kernels and one inbred line were investigated for untargeted phenolic profile, <italic>in vitro</italic> antioxidant capacity and resistance to <italic>Fusarium</italic><italic>verticillioides</italic> infection. “Rostrato Rosso” was the richest in anthocyanins whilst phenolic acids were the second class in abundance, with comparable values detected between cultivars. Tyrosol equivalents were also the highest in “Rostrato Rosso” (822.4 mg kg<sup>−1</sup>). Coherently, “Rostrato Rosso” was highly resistant to fungal penetration and diffusion. These preliminary findings might help in breeding programs, aiming to develop maize lines more resistant to infections and with improved nutraceutical value.</p>