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Title: Mineral Distributions in Milling Fractions of Low Phytic Acid Wheat

Author
item GUTTIERI, MARY - UNIVERSITY OF IDAHO
item PETERSON, KAREN - UNIVERSITY OF IDAHO
item SOUZA, EDWARD

Submitted to: Crop Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/8/2006
Publication Date: 11/21/2006
Citation: Guttieri, M., Peterson, K., Souza, E.J. 2006. Mineral Distributions in Milling Fractions of Low Phytic Acid Wheat. Crop Science. 46(6):2692-2698.

Interpretive Summary: Reducing phytic acid in wheat has the potential to improve human nutrition through increasing the available magnesium and phosphorus in foods made from wheat. Magnesium deficiency is well documented within North America and has been linked with osteoporosis, as well as with insulin resistance and increased risk for Type II diabetes. This research documents that reducing the phytic acid in wheat significantly increases the amount of free phosphorus and magnesium in flour. Other minerals are also redistributed in the kernel but have smaller differences than observed for phosphorus and magnesium.

Technical Abstract: Low phytic acid (LPA) wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is one approach to improving nutritional quality of wheat by reducing the major storage form of phosphorus and increasing the level of inorganic phosphorus, which is more readily absorbed by humans and other monogastric animals. A LPA mutant of wheat, designated Js-12-LPA was isolated following mutagenesis. LPA and wild-type (WT) sib selections of hard red spring wheat families with the pedigree Grandin*4/Js-12-LPA were grown in replicated field trials in 2003 and 2004. Grain was milled on an experimental mill, and the distribution of phosphorus, phytic acid P, and inorganic P was measured in milling fractions. Mineral concentrations also were determined. LPA selections had elevated concentrations of inorganic P and Mg in flour fractions. The concentration of inorganic P in LPA flour was 3 times the concentration in WT flour, and Mg concentration in LPA flour was 25% greater than in WT flour. Therefore, P and Mg in LPA wheat appear to be redistributed within the kernel. The increase in inorganic P is similar to that observed for other LPA mutants and should improve the mineral nutrition of monogastric animals fed whole grain LPA wheat. As most wheat is milled for flour and bran, the detailed distribution of minerals in the LPA wheat should assist geneticists and nutritionists in assessing the value of this mutation.