GM wheat to market?

A GM wheat variety could reach the market in five years, say Australian scientists who have won financial backing to commercialize the crop, according to this article on Food Navigator Europe.

A new joint venture involving French cereals group Limagrain and Australia’s Grains Research and Development Corporation will invest in the project run by the Australian research body CSIRO.

CSIRO has been working on healthier wheat varieties for several years and in March announced that it had increased the amylose levels in a new variety from about 25 to 70 percent. Amylose, or resistant starch, takes longer for the body to digest and therefore releases sugars more slowly. Research suggests that slower sugar release reduces the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Resistant starch is also though to be “beneficial for the bowel,” according to the article.

The article notes that commercialization depends on consumer acceptance of the wheat. Roundup Ready wheat failed to launch here in the U.S. because of consumer concerns, but the article notes that the perceived health benefits of the wheat may help to overcome consumer objections.

Click here to read the rest of the article>>

Thanks to the Meridian Institute’s Ag-Biotech News listserv for the link.

This entry was posted on Friday, November 3rd, 2006 at 8:51 am and is filed under All blog posts. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.