Healthier grains on the way

The CSIRO and the Chinese Academy of Sciences have found a way to develop grains with a much thicker and nutrient-dense outer layer.

The scientists identified a variety of rice that has an outer layer, called the aleurone, that is 4 to 12 times thicker than usual rice.

Much of the nutritional value of rice, like other cereal grains, is contained in the outer layers of the grain, which is why wholegrain foods are preferred.

They have also uncovered the gene responsible and the tiny change that makes this dramatic shift happen in grain development.

This new innovation has been successfully tested by breeders in China in red and black-grained rice varieties, which are being grown with little or no effect on growth and yield of the rice.

CSIRO says it is accelerating its efforts to copy this research in wheat and barley, and is also collaborating with researchers at the University of Melbourne to further enrich nutrient accumulation in the rice grain.