Evaluation of Key Economic Traits in a Green Mutant of Neopyropia yezoensis: A Promising Candidate for Commercial Cultivation with Superior Umami Taste

Developing Neopyropia breeding lines with superior flavor qualities is crucial to meet the market demand for premium seaweed products. In this study, we evaluated the key economic traits of Y-G001, a stable chemically induced green mutant of Neopyropia yezoensis. Agronomic performance was assessed in fresh thalli, while photosynthetic pigment and flavor profiles were evaluated in both fresh thalli and dried sheets after the thermal drying process. Compared to the high-yielding wild-type cultivar (ST-2), Y-G001 exhibited comparable growth rate and archeospore-releasing capacity, indicating its suitability for large-scale cultivation. The distinctive green coloration of Y-G001 resulted from an exceptionally low phycoerythrin-to-phycocyanin ratio (PE/PC = 0.04) and remained stable after the drying process. Notably, Y-G001 possessed a superior flavor profile, driven by a 12.13% increase in umami free amino acids and a 16.44% increase in umami nucleotides. Thermal drying further enhanced these taste-active compounds, acting as a flavor amplifier. Consequently, the equivalent umami concentrations (EUCs) of fresh and dried Y-G001 were 68.27% and 59.77% higher than those of their wild-type counterparts, respectively. Pearson correlation analysis further revealed distinct concurrent accumulation patterns among these key flavor metabolites in the mutant. These findings demonstrate that Y-G001 is a promising breeding line integrating unique coloration, robust agronomic traits, and a superior umami taste, offering substantial commercial potential for the Neopyropia industry.