Agronomists grow low-gluten wheat crop

Grain prepared from organic formula contains vitamin E and protein

LAHORE:

Agronomists have developed wheat from an organic liquid formula that contains less than normal gluten along with vitamin E and protein.

According to agricultural experts, bread and bakery products made from wheat flour from the crop are very useful for human health.

High levels of gluten in traditionally grown wheat in the country cause many diseases. However, Pakistani agronomists had used organic liquid formulas to produce wheat that has less gluten.

This is the first time in Pakistan that the wheat naturally contained vitamins, The Express Tribune has learnt.

Agronomist Syed Babar Ali Bukhari stated, “Our team has been experimenting with organic liquid formulas for the past 15 years. These include various vegetables and crops including rice and wheat.”

Its use produces earthworms in the soil, which not only increased the productivity of the soil but also raised the nutrition level of the crop, he added.

He further said that wheat flour had been tested by the Pakistan Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (PCSIR).

According to the PCSIR report, the gluten content in the wheat and flour had come down to 10 per cent, which was around 14% in ordinary wheat. Similarly, fat was 1%, protein 13.72%, fibre 1.2%, vitamins 0.78% and carbohydrates 73.68%.

“Wheat did not contain vitamin E at all, no matter where it was grown. Normally, it is added in addition to flour,” the agronomist explained. “However, the new wheat variety grown in Pakistan contains vitamin E naturally. The amount of vitamin E in two pieces of bread is equal to the amount found in half a pound of fish.”

A person who eats roti three times a day will be protected from gastrointestinal diseases, obesity and blood pressure while the digestive system will improve, he elaborated. “The price of this flour will be equal to that of ordinary flour and people of lower-income background will be able to buy it easily. For the first time in the country, bakery products will also be made from low-gluten flour containing vitamin E.”

Faisal Mehmood, a businessman from Lahore, said he had experimentally made bread, cake rusk, pizza and shawarma bread from the flour and tested them in different laboratories. “This is very beneficial compared to other bakery products made from the flour available in the market.”

He claimed that the bread and bakery products made from the flour had been tested on more than 100 people. “Its use has reduced their stomach problems and also obesity.”

He further said that commercial production of the bakery items would start in the next few weeks.

Khalid Parvez, a senior doctor at a private hospital in Lahore, said that many people find it difficult to digest bread due to the high gluten content in ordinary wheat. “If this flour is low in gluten and contains vitamin E, then this is a great achievement. Many people suffering from stomach ailments will be able to avoid diseases just by consuming this bread.”

 

Published in The Express Tribune, February 8^th, 2021.