UK scientists breed wheat to boost whisky production

The development could make UK grown wheat more desirable for use in whisky compared to imported
British scientists have used ‘reverse genetics’ to breed a wheat specifically designed to improve whisky production and reduce processing problems.
The novel wheat, created by Rothemsted Research, has been developed to have grain with low levels of soluble dietary fibre.
Currently, using wheat grain is a problem for distilleries because it causes sticky residues that mean the whole distillery must be shut down for cleaning.
According to Dr Rowan Mitchell, the new wheat should decrease these issues: “Great for making whisky, but the opposite to what’s required by bakers.”
He added that the development would also make UK grown wheat more desirable for use in whisky compared to imported maize, which is currently easier to process.
This new wheat line is one of the first varieties in the world developed using ‘reverse genetics’ – where scientists start with knowledge of what a gene does, rather than screening for the trait in a plant first and then looking for which of its genes are responsible.