High-Magnesium, Low-Phytic Wheat Developed

According to USDAs Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS), new low-phytate types of wheat have been found to produce flour with 25% more magnesium and lower levels of phytic acid than commercial varieties. The researchers believe that the lower levels of phytic acid might help increase the magnesiums bioavailability

Edward J. Souza, plant geneticist, University of Idaho Research and Extension Center, Aberdeen, ID, and collegues selected the low-phytate lines of wheat from greenhouse tests. After two years of testing in the field, the researchers noted that the low-phytate plants have a different distribution of essential minerals, with more nutrients in the inner germ than in the outer bran. The flour made from the wheat is more nutritional regardless of whether it is refined or whole. According to a recent USDA-ARS release, high phytate content in wheat grains and the loss of the magnesium in the outer coat of the grains (bran) during processing reduce the magnesium in wheat flour (to read the complete release, see http://www.ars.usda.gov/News/docs.htm?docid=1261; also, the Nov./Dec. issue of Crop Science contains an analysis of the new wheat strains: http://crop.scijournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/46/6/2403).