From the laboratory to the paddock

The science behind agriculture and in particular broadacre grain crops shows little sign of slowing as researchers work on creating products for a variety of needs.

For more than 60 years the CSIRO has been supporting Australia’s grain industry to improve yields, quality and management, and to combat disease.

Improving health factors are major drivers in much of the work surrounding grain, especially at the CSIRO, where scientists have for the past couple of decades explored ways of tackling chronic disease.

Research is constantly leading to improved grain varieties, with work involving everything from boosting fibre to reducing gluten levels in crops.

A quick scan at some of the research shows that an international team including CSIRO members have developed a wheat variety with 10 times more fibre than other varieties.

Here is a snapshot of the project from the CSIRO website –

Resistant starch is known to improve digestive health, protect against genetic damage that precedes bowel cancer and help combat Type 2 diabetes. Australian diets largely lack this type of starch.

Resistant starch is a dietary fibre that feeds the ‘good bacteria’ that live in the large bowel. These bacteria are

part of our microbiome. They can use resistant starch as food because it resists digestion in our small intestine and moves on to the large bowel.

The most popular source of dietary fibre is wheat, eaten by 30 percent of the world’s population, whether in bread, pizzas, pastas or tortillas.

The CSIRO and its partners have worked to develop a wheat that can provide millions of people with more fibre, without having to change their eating habits.

Amylose is a highly soluble part of starch and research behind highamylose wheat started in the 1990s.

In 2006, the CSIRO teamed with French company Limagrain Céréales Ingrédients and Grains Research and Development Corporation, and worked on developing wheat varieties with a higher content of resistant starch. Together, the work established Arista Cereal Technologies.

The first breakthrough came when research identified two particular enzymes, that when reduced in wheat, increased the amylose content.

Breeding work then enabled CSIRO scientists to increase the amylose content of wheat grain from about 20 or 30 percent to an unprecedented 85 percent.

This was sufficient to increase the level of resistant starch to more than 20 percent of total starch in the grain compared with less than one percent in regular wheat.

High-amylose wheat was developed using a conventional breeding approach.

United States-based Bay State Milling Company was the first company to take this technology to the market, in 2017.

Expectations are that its product, Healthsensetm high-fibre wheat flour will be incorporated into a variety of food products in America in coming years.

In Australia, Arista is partnering with a breeding company to develop high-amylose wheat varieties suitable for different growing regions.

Discussions are underway with companies in Australia about developing a new product for local and possibly also Asian markets.

Superior health benefits

In another example of health-based CSIRO grains research, a wholegrain it developed in the mid-2000s has proven to have superior health benefits that can help combat cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes and colorectal cancer.

Work was based on reducing the incidence of chronic disease through improved diet.

Again, here is insight published on the CSIRO website –

The motivation was to find practical, effective diet and lifestyle solutions that could help reduce the burden of these chronic diseases.

Increased wholegrain intake has been shown to reduce the risk of certain cancers, heart disease, diabetes, stroke and even help with weight control.

CSIRO scientists have seen the potential to enhance the nutritional value of wholegrains, such as barley, to help combat these health problems.

One particular barley grain emerged from research as having higher fibre content and enhanced nutritional benefits compared with regular barley.

A program of conventional plant breeding led to the development of BARLEYMAX, a high-fibre wholegrain with high levels of resistant starch.

An extensive program of experimental studies, including a human trial, showed a range of foods produced with BARLEYMAX as their key ingredient had a low glycemic index and also produced positive changes in a range of biomarkers of bowel health.

In a joint venture with Australian Capital Ventures Ltd, CSIRO bred the new BARLEYMAX grain, then worked with food manufacturers to create products containing BARLEYMAX, including breakfast cereals, food wraps, rice mixes and bread.

Consumers have been able to enjoy the benefits of foods containing BARLeymax since August 2009.

BARLEYMAX is now licensed to a CSIRO spin-off company, The Healthy Grain.

The potential value of improved health outcomes for Australians from widespread, regular consumption of BARLEYMAX is estimated to be worth about $305-million a year due to its potential for lowering rates of Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and colorectal cancer.

In addition, the total savings in health system costs from increased dietary fibre intake are forecast at up to $17-million a year.