Genetic characterization of lipoxygenase activitiy for durum wheat varieties

High protein content and quality together with semolina color are utmost importance for durum wheat (Triticum durum L) used mainly for semolina and pasta production. Macaroni color is whitened by mainly lipoxygenases. Semolina color and oxidative enzymes are controlled genetically; however, environmental factors also somehow contribute to this criterion. For this reason, selection of macaroni genotypes with higher semolina color level and lower oxidative enzyme activities is utmost importance for macaroni industries. In this study, 56 durum wheat varieties registered in Turkey were genetically characterized by using 7 different molecular markers linked to lipoxygenase activity. Durum wheat cultivars were classified into three different haplotypes such as low, medium and high lipoxygenase activity, respectively. It is thought that these results can contribute to develop new durum wheat cultivars with lower lipoxygenase activity in Turkey.