Towards the Understanding of Important Coconut Endosperm Phenotypes: Is there an Epigenetic Control?

Abstract

The coconut is a major crop of many tropical countries, with the endosperm being one of its main products. The coconut soft-endosperm variants, the Makapuno and the Lono, are emerging as economically important. This review describes this crop, its salient endosperm phenotypes and the prevailing hypotheses associated with these. We also collate the literature on the Makapuno and provide a comprehensive review of the scarce information on the Lono. We review the current tenets of plant DNA methylation and provide examples of altered phenotypes associated with such methylation changes. We explore how the changes in the methylome affect endosperm development and the tissue culture process. We further cite the epigenetic basis of an altered endosperm phenotype of a closely related species to the coconut, the oil palm. We discuss how such modifications could affect coconut endosperm development, yielding the Makapuno and Lono phenotypes.

Proteome Landscape during Ripening of Solid Endosperm from Two Different Coconut Cultivars Reveals Contrasting Carbohydrate and Fatty Acid Metabolic Pathway Modulation

“…The growth and maturation of coconut fruit are intrinsically related to the development of the different components of the seed, i.e., endosperms, pericarp and embryo. However, in contrast to the liquid endosperm, the solid endosperm of the coconut fruit does not accumulate synchronically with fruit maturation because it begins to accumulate around the internal periphery of the embryo sac sixth months after pollination; early solid endosperm cells have an appearance of a cream to transparent jelly-like matrix and contain many kinds of structural carbohydrates [ 14 ]. When fruits are ripening, the solid endosperm becomes thicker, white in color, with a more compact structure; then, endosperm cells stop their deposition and begin to function as a reservoir of proteins and triacylglycerols [ 14 ].…”

Freeze drying technology and its impact on the characteristics of kopyor coconut flesh

“…Salah satu varian kelapa yang hanya ditemukan di Indonesia adalah kelapa kopyor dengan kondisi daging buah (endosperma) bertekstur remah, lunak dan terlepas dari tempurung buah (endokarp) pada saat tua. Daging buah kelapa kopyor memiliki kandungan air, lemak dan karbohidrat cukup tinggi serta kandungan enzim seperti peroksidase, dehidrogenase, lipase, katalase, dan protease yang dapat mempercepat proses hidrolisis dan oksidasi lemak sehingga terbentuk asam lemak bebas dan menyebabkan kerusakan mutu (Angeles et al, 2018). Kerusakan mutu pada bahan pangan berlemak dapat ditandai dengan adanya perubahan warna daging buah menjadi lebih coklat, akibat adanya aktivitas enzim dan mikroba.…”

Fruit Biology of Coconut (Cocos nucifera L.)

“…During the germination process, these vascular tubes can also allow moisture to penetrate to the embryo [ 32 ]. The solid endosperm forms after 210 days following fertilization, initially from opposite to the stem end [ 33 ], then it progressively extends around the internal cavity to surround the embryo and achieves its maximum thickness at 360 days after fertilization when the fruit becomes physiologically mature. The liquid endosperm or coconut water usually reduces its volume after maturation [ 26 ], and the reason is still unknown.…”