Kinetics of β-carotene degradation under different storage conditions in transgenic Golden Rice® lines

•Genetic constitution of the rice variety and transgene position influenced β-carotene accumulation.•Vacuum packaging enhances the storage stability of β-carotene in Golden Rice®.•The β-carotene deterioration was faster when rice was stored after polishing.•Oxidative deterioration of β-carotene is higher followed by thermal deterioration. The effect of vacuum packing and ambient storage conditions on the stability of the β-carotene in the transgenic Golden Rice® lines was studied. The β-carotene was quantified using RP-HPLC at bimonthly intervals for a period of six months. The β-carotene concentration in the genotypes analyzed ranged from 7.13 to 22.81 µg/g of endosperm. The transgene being the same in all the genotypes, variation in the β-carotene concentration reflects on the genetic background of the rice variety and the transgene position that governed the differential accumulation of β-carotene. It was observed that in the absence of light, oxidative degradation is higher followed by thermal degradation. Weibull model with higher R2 best explained the degradation kinetics of β-carotene in Golden Rice® lines across all the storage conditions. The knowledge generated through this study can be utilized in devising an effective delivery system for Golden Rice® to the consumer.