Linking breadfruit cultivar names across the globe connects histories after 230 years of separation.

Every crop has a story. The story of breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis), an increasingly valued staple crop in tropical agroforestry systems, is filled with intrigue, oppression, and remains incomplete. The Caribbean is a major producer and consumer of breadfruit, yet most breadfruit there came from a single 1793 introduction aimed at providing a cheap food source for slaves forced to work on British plantations.

Breadfruit flour is a healthy option for modern foods and food security.

Breadfruit is a traditional staple crop from Pacific islands with the potential to improve worldwide food security and mitigate diabetes. Flour produced from breadfruit is a gluten-free, low glycemic index, nutrient dense and complete protein option for modern foods but basic scientific knowledge of health impacts of a breadfruit-based diet in animals and humans was lacking. We designed a series of studies to provide basic and fundamental data on impacts of a breadfruit-based diet through an in vitro and in vivo model.

Development of a Breadfruit Flour Pasta Product.

Breadfruit ) is grown throughout the tropics. Processing the perishable starchy fruit into flour provides a means to expand the use of the fruit. The flour can be used to develop new value-added products for local use and potential export.

A transcriptome screen for positive selection in domesticated breadfruit and its wild relatives (Artocarpus spp.).

Premise Of The Study: Underutilized crops, such as breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis, Moraceae) have the potential to improve global food security. Humans have artificially selected many cultivars of breadfruit since its domestication began approximately 3500 years ago. The goal of this research was to identify transcriptomic signals of positive selection and to develop genomic resources that may facilitate the development of improved breadfruit cultivars in the future.

Preparation of a Breadfruit Flour Bar.

Breadfruit is a nutritious, high energy food with a low quantity of protein but excellent protein quality. It has the potential to be developed into desired products which will help increase its utilization and add value to the crop. The overall purposes of this investigation were to develop a portable, nutritious, ready-to-eat breadfruit product (bar), test the sensory qualities of the product, and evaluate the nutritional properties of the product.

Low-coverage, whole-genome sequencing of Artocarpus camansi (Moraceae) for phylogenetic marker development and gene discovery.

Premise Of The Study: We used moderately low-coverage (17×) whole-genome sequencing of Artocarpus camansi (Moraceae) to develop genomic resources for Artocarpus and Moraceae.

Methods And Results: A de novo assembly of Illumina short reads (251,378,536 pairs, 2 × 100 bp) accounted for 93% of the predicted genome size. Predicted coding regions were used in a three-way orthology search with published genomes of Morus notabilis and Cannabis sativa.

Chloroplast microsatellite markers for Artocarpus (Moraceae) developed from transcriptome sequences.

Premise Of The Study: Chloroplast microsatellite loci were characterized from transcriptomes of Artocarpus altilis (breadfruit) and A. camansi (breadnut). They were tested in A.

Breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis): a source of high-quality protein for food security and novel food products.

Protein deficiency has been observed as a leading cause of malnutrition and child death in the tropics. The current study evaluated the protein quality of 49 important breadfruit cultivars (41 Artocarpus altilis and 8 hybrids of A. altilis × A.

Development of microsatellite loci in Artocarpus altilis (Moraceae) and cross-amplification in congeneric species.

Premise Of The Study: Microsatellite loci were isolated and characterized from enriched genomic libraries of Artocarpus altilis (breadfruit) and tested in four Artocarpus species and one hybrid. The microsatellite markers provide new tools for further studies in Artocarpus. •

Methods And Results: A total of 25 microsatellite loci were evaluated across four Artocarpus species and one hybrid.

Isolation and identification of mosquito (Aedes aegypti ) biting deterrent fatty acids from male inflorescences of breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis (Parkinson) Fosberg).

Dried male inflorescences of breadfruit ( Artocarpus altilis , Moraceae) are burned in communities throughout Oceania to repel flying insects, including mosquitoes. This study was conducted to identify chemicals responsible for mosquito deterrence. Various crude extracts were evaluated, and the most active, the hydrodistillate, was used for bioassay-guided fractionation.

Mutualism breakdown in breadfruit domestication.

During the process of plant domestication, below-ground communities are rarely considered. Some studies have attempted to understand the changes in root symbionts owing to domestication, but little is known about how it influences mycorrhizal response in domesticated crops. We hypothesized that selection for above-ground traits may also result in decreased mycorrhizal abundance in roots.

In vitro conservation and sustained production of breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis, Moraceae): modern technologies for a traditional tropical crop.

Breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis, Moraceae) is a traditionally cultivated, high-energy, high-yield crop, but widespread use of the plant for food is limited by poor quality and poor storage properties of the fruit. A unique field genebank of breadfruit species and cultivars exists at the National Tropical Botanical Garden in the Hawaiian Islands and is an important global resource for conservation and sustainable use of breadfruit. However, this plant collection could be damaged by a random natural disaster such as a hurricane.

Complex origins of breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis, Moraceae): implications for human migrations in Oceania.

Breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis, Moraceae), a traditional starch crop in Oceania, has enjoyed legendary status ever since its role in the infamous mutiny aboard the H.M.S.