Abstract
Pearl millet is an important cereal crop of semi-arid regions since it is highly nutritious and climate resilient. However, pearl millet is underutilized commercially due to the rapid onset of hydrolytic rancidity of seed lipids post-milling. We investigated the underlying biochemical and molecular mechanisms of rancidity development in the flour from contrasting inbred lines under accelerated aging conditions. The breakdown of storage lipids (triacylglycerols; TAG) was accompanied by free fatty acid accumulation over the time course for all lines. The high rancidity lines had the highest amount of FFA by day 21, suggesting that TAG lipases may be the cause of rancidity. Additionally, the high rancidity lines manifested substantial amounts of volatile aldehyde compounds, which are characteristic products of lipid oxidation. Lipases with expression in seed post-milling were sequenced from low and high rancidity lines. Polymorphisms were identified in two TAG lipase genes (PgTAGLip1 and PgTAGLip2) from the low rancidity line. Expression in a yeast model system confirmed these mutants were non-functional. We provide a direct mechanism to alleviate rancidity in pearl millet flour by identifying mutations in key TAG lipase genes that are associated with low rancidity. These genetic variations can be exploited through molecular breeding or precision genome technologies to develop elite pearl millet cultivars with improved flour shelf life.