Coming Soon To Stores Near You: Nutritious ‘Coloured’ Wheat Varieties Developed By Indian Scientists 

Indian scientists at NABI have developed coloured wheat varieties that pack in higher nutritional value than the ‘normal’ amber wheat and will soon make them available at neighbourhood stores and supermarkets, reports The Hindu BusinessLine (BL).

The technology was pioneered by the agricultural biotechnologists led by Monika Garg at the National Agri-Food Biotechnology Institute (NABI).

It can be used to make not only bread of different hues like blue, purple or black but also colourful’ biscuits, semolina or noodles.

NABI, which is under the administrative control of Department of Biotechnology, has already signed agreements with various companies for technology transfer.

“We have not released them for individual farmers as they may find it difficult to sell them, at least for the time being,” said Garg one of the scientists who worked on the project for over a decade.

It should be noted that they are not only visually appealing but also quite healthy. While only a minuscule quantity of anthocyanins is present in regular wheat varieties, the coloured ones are rich in them. For example, black wheat packs 28 times more anthocyanins than its conventional cousin

Besides anthocyanins, the varieties also pack in relatively higher levels of proteins and essential micronutrients such as zinc. The antioxidants present may also help prevent ageing, obesity and diabetes.

These unusual wheat varieties obtain their colour from natural antioxidants abundantly present in fruits such as blueberries, blackberries and jamun.