Research led by Jorge Dubcovsky and his team from the University of California at Davis is reported to have resulted in the discovery of a gene in wild wheat, which the researchers claim would enhance the nutritional content of wheat. Facts provided by the research claims that the conventional breeding method used to incorporate the gene into the cultivated wheat varieties would boost the protein, zinc and iron value in the grain.
Doubtless that the added protein content to wheat aims at compensating for the lack of nutrients in the daily bread of more than 2 billion people, but the question remains that whether the wild wheat gene would pass positively through the palates of consumer and consumer groups, at the outset of whole grain and gluten-free products.
In addition to the gluten-free concerns are the concerns of texture and flavor, which has not passed consumer trials. Therefore, the acceptability of this newly bred wheat with nutritional claims has to come up to the food trends of health and flavor to mean anything to the consumers.
Via: Reuters
