Orangefleshed

Orangefleshed is a horticultural descriptor used to denote plant tissues that have orange-coloured flesh, typically due to carotenoid pigments such as beta-carotene. The term is used in botany, breeding, and nutrition programs to identify varieties with elevated carotenoid content, especially provitamin A compounds. The best-known example is orange-fleshed sweet potato (OFSP), a group of cultivars whose tubers display orange flesh and higher beta-carotene than pale-fleshed varieties. OFSP has been promoted since the 1990s as a biofortified crop to help alleviate vitamin A deficiency in regions where sweet potatoes are a staple.

In addition to sweet potato, the orange-fleshed phenotype occurs in other crops where carotenoid accumulation yields orange tissue, such as certain carrot and squash varieties. However, the term is most closely associated with OFSP in nutrition and development work, where breeding programs aim to increase provitamin A content while preserving yield, taste, and storage properties. The orange color reflects carotenoid composition in the chromoplasts of the flesh; beta-carotene has been a primary target for biofortification efforts.

Color intensity alone is not a direct proxy for total vitamin A activity; laboratory analysis is used to quantify beta-carotene and total carotenoids. Overall, orangefleshed describes a flesh-colored trait linked to nutritional quality and breeding strategies focused on enhancing dietary provitamin A intake.