New variety of wheat
- July 10, 2023
- Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
- Category: DPN Topics
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New variety of wheat
Subject: Science and technology
Section: Biotechnology
Concept :
- The Ludhiana-based institution, which played a pivotal role during the Green Revolution to make India surplus in foodgrains by developing high-yielding strains, has bred a new wheat variety with high amylose starch content, known to reduce risks of type-2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.
- It is called PBW RS1, with RS being short for resistant starch — it won’t cause an immediate and rapid rise in glucose levels.
- The high amylose and resistant starch, instead, ensure that glucose is released more slowly into the bloodstream .
- The variety has been developed over a period of 10 years by a team of wheat breeders led by Dr V S Sohu, head, department of plant breeding and genetics. PAU is the first to combine five novel alleles (genes) affecting resistant starch levels for developing this variety.
- Earlier, PAU had released two varieties – PBW Zn1 with high zinc content, and PBW1 Chapati whose flour had premium chapati quality that remained fresh for long – on nutritional lines but none had features as PBW RS1.
Resistant Starch
- Resistant starch (RS) is starch, including its degradation products, that escapes from digestion in the small intestine of healthy individuals.
- Resistant starch occurs naturally in foods, but it can also be added as part of dried raw foods, or used as an additive in manufactured foods.
- Some types of resistant starch (RS1, RS2 and RS3) are fermented by the large intestinal microbiota, conferring benefits to human health through the production of short-chain fatty acids, increased bacterial mass, and promotion of butyrate-producing bacteria