Nutritional and Phytonutrient Analysis of QPM and Normal Maize Inbred Lines

Abstract

Investigations were carried out to characterize twenty maize inbreds at biochemical levels among QPM and normal maize lines for their effective utilization in the breeding program. Proximate analysis was carried out to study the nutritional quality of maize inbred lines based on lysine and tryptophan levels among the two groups. The nutritional composition includes lysine, tryptophan, moisture, oil, crude protein, starch and total soluble sugars, showing significant differences between QPM and normal maize inbreds, while fibre and total ash content showed little variation. Phytonutrients showed slightly higher value for QPM lines compare to normal lines exhibiting good antioxidant capability of QPM lines. The present investigation highlights the importance of evaluating biochemical parameters when selecting parents for crossing programs. The proximate composition and antioxidant capacity were proved to be useful for nutritionally better varietal identification and to evaluate QPM and normal maize lines based on nutritional and antioxidant performance.