GWAS Identifies SNP Markers and Candidate Genes for Off-Flavours and Protein Content in Faba Bean (<i>Vicia faba</i> L.)
Faba bean (<i>Vicia faba</i> L.) is a valuable ingredient in plant-based foods such as meat and dairy analogues. However, its typical taste and aroma are considered off-flavours in these food applications, representing a bottleneck during processing. Breeding is needed to develop varieti...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Plants |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/14/2/193 |
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| Summary: | Faba bean (<i>Vicia faba</i> L.) is a valuable ingredient in plant-based foods such as meat and dairy analogues. However, its typical taste and aroma are considered off-flavours in these food applications, representing a bottleneck during processing. Breeding is needed to develop varieties with minimal off-flavours and high protein content. The genetic regulation of these traits is underexplored. To dissect their genetic architecture, we performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS). A total of 245 faba bean accessions (the CGN population) were genotyped using the 90K-SPET targeted assay. These accessions were phenotyped in 2021 and 2022 in the Netherlands for protein, oil, fatty acids, lipid-derived products, phenolic acids, flavonoids, and tannins. The CGN population showed large phenotypic variation and moderate-to-high narrow-sense heritability for most traits. The growing environment significantly affected all traits, with trait-specific genotype-by-year (GxY) interactions. Condensed tannins and fatty acids were the most stable across the two years and had the highest heritability estimates (<i>h</i><sup>2</sup> > 0.6). GWAS identified a total of 148 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) loci in 2021 and 167 in 2022. Key candidate regulators included genes involved in lipid biosynthesis (<i>ATS2</i>, <i>KAS</i>, <i>LPP</i>), amino acid transport (<i>CAT4</i>) for protein storage, <i>zero tannins locus-1</i> (<i>zt-1</i>), and regulators of the phenylpropanoid pathway, such as a <i>shikimate kinase</i> gene and transcription factors <i>bHLH137-like</i> and <i>MYB</i>. These results pave the way for validation studies and biotechnological applications to improve the quality of faba bean-based foods. |
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| ISSN: | 2223-7747 |