A New Approach for Resistant Starch in Wheat

The United States is facing increasing levels of childhood obesity that have more than tripled in the past thirty years. With obesity comes a higher risk of related health issues such as diabetes. This project is focused on the development of novel wheat varieties for the production of high resistant starch foods. Resistant starch is considered a form of dietary fiber with beneficial health effects because it is more resistant to digestion and results in a slower release of glucose. Regular wheat varieties typically have very low levels of resistant starch, so the development of high resistant starch wheat would provide a ready means to increase dietary fiber in the diet. For this project, we have identified novel alleles in genes affecting resistant starch levels. Through standard breeding and use of molecular markers, we will develop new pasta and bread wheat varieties high in resistant starch.