Abstract Detail

Charles Heiser Special Contributed Paper Session

Ragone, Diane [1], Jones, Andrew Maxwell [2], Murch, Susan [3].

Nutritional Diversity in Traditional Cultivars of Breadfruit(Artocarpus, Moraceae).

Breadfruit (Artocarpus,Moraceae), a high-yielding tropical staple food crop, has been identified under the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture for its potential to impact food security. The Breadfruit Institute at the National Tropical Botanical Garden houses the largest breadfruit collection in the world including 300 accessions of breadfruit originating from 34 Pacific islands,the Seychelles, the Philippines and Indonesia. The collection includes Artocarpusaltilis, hybrids of A. altilis × A. mariannensis TrÃcul, breadfruit's putative ancestral species breadnut (Artocarpus camansi Blanco),and dugdug (Artocarpus mariannensis TrÃcul). Cultivars were developed through millennia of traditional breeding for diverse agricultural and nutritional characteristics. The objective of the current research was to compare the nutritional diversity of 94 accessions of breadfruit along with two related species, Artocarpus camansi and Artocarpus mariannensis, in fresh fruit and flour with the overall goal of selecting highly nutritious cultivars suitable for international distribution for food security. Overall, these data have identified individual cultivars that would provide 20%-25% of the recommended daily adult requirement for protein, approximately 23.5% calcium, 97.4% copper, 19.2% iron, 48.1%potassium, 115.8% magnesium, 33.6% manganese, 0.6% sodium, 53.5% phosphorous,and 21.0% zinc of the recommended daily intake of a female between 19-30 years old, and enough pro-vitamin A carotenoids to fulfill over 60% of the minimum daily vitamin A requirement of adults if eaten as the primary staple food. These data, along with agricultural field data, provide the foundation for introduction of breadfruit as a highly sustainable and nutritious crop for food security throughout the wet tropics.

Broader Impacts:

Related Links:
Breadfruit Institute

1 - National Tropical Botanical Garden, 3530 Papalina Road, Kalaheo, HI, 96741, USA
2 - University of British Columbia, Biology, 3333 University Way, Kelowna, BC, V1V 1V7, Canada
3 - University of British Columbia, Chemistry, 3333 University Way, Kelowna, BC, V1V 1V7, Canada

Keywords:
Breadfruit
Artocarpus altilis
Food Security
protein requirement
mineral nutrition
vitamin A.

Presentation Type: Oral Paper:Papers for Topics
Session: 15
Location: Lindell D/Chase Park Plaza
Date: Monday, July 11th, 2011
Time: 3:15 PM
Number: 15008
Abstract ID:107