04.01.06
CSIRO Develops New Wheat Variety
Australia-based CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation) has developed a new experimental wheat variety with the potential to provide benefits in the areas of bowel health, diabetes and obesity. This new ingredient has been found to significantly alter starch composition, increasing the amount of amylose from about 25% to 70%. Amylose is a form of starch that is more resistant to digestion, providing the potential for the new wheat ingredient to be an important component of foods with a low glycemic index (GI). According to the organization, starch resistant to digestion is also expected to generate favorable changes in the gastrointestinal tract that promote bowel health and would be expected to lead to a reduction in colorectal cancer risk. By using molecular marker technology, CSIRO is now able to identify the genetic diversity necessary to develop high amylose wheats using conventional breeding.