b'immune reaction.Not all wheat gluten protein is bad, he explains. Rather, we can keep an amount of non-immunaoenetic-gluten. The new wheat varieties are genetically engineered to contain two enzymes: one from barley that attacks gluten and another from the bacterium Flavobacterium meningosepticum. These enzymes, called glutenases, break down the gluten in the humane digestive tract and reduce the amount of indigestible gluten peptide by two-thirds.The new varieties, which are based on soft white wheat genetics, are still in theBy packing a remedy for wheat allergies into the grain, a team of international scientists, research phase and are being tested forincluding researchers at WSU, are helping develop crops that can help people with celiac.in-field growth characteristics, as well as end-use baking properties. The lines areGLUTEN: A WORLD-WIDE IMPACTnot ready for commercialization.Phenotypically the new lines look exactly like their mother plants, he adds,In Sachin Rustgis home country of India, celiac but the technical baking properties of thedisease has been largely misdiagnosed as summer reduced gluten varieties differ from theirdiarrhea in the past. wild type counterparts.Interestingly, they eat wheat breads in the In the U.S., we have six different classes of wheat. The soft wheat is actu- summer, and in the winter they eat breads from ally grown to make cookies and cakes.corn, he explains. They never realized it could be When we modified the wheat, its breadceliac disease. mixing properties became similar to the hard wheats that are used for bread,Many thought Asian countries were free from celiac Rustgi says. Interestingly, removing thosedisease, but rapidly changing. We now know that toxic proteins made the soft wheat bakeChina has a very big population of celiac patients like the hard wheats. and its spreading to other parts of the world. In this phase, Rustgi says there is more work to do. While the variety exhibitsWhen Rustgi came to the Washington State 76% less gluten than traditional wheat,University, he also met more people that struggle the goal is 90% or more gluten reduction.Sachin Rustgi serves as assistant professorwith celiac disease, many of which have to abstain And until genetically engineered wheatof molecular breeding at Clemsonfrom gluten products. becomes more accepted by the publicUniversity. and export partners, there is little oppor- Going gluten-free is not without penalties, he tunity to move forward.adds. There are side effects. It happens slowly With that in mind, he is includingover time, but a gluten-free diet changes the CRISPR and other technologies in hisinto the food chain, Rustgi says. Thatmicrobiota that you have in your gut because you research for lower gluten wheat. While itcould be a critical role when are creatingare not eating enough fibers that the bacteria will likely require an additional five yearsthese reduced-gluten genetic lines.ferment. The chemicals bacteria secret upon to move through the research and in- By packing the solution to gluten field testing process, he hopes the endintolerance into the grain, were givingfermenting the biological fibers are actually anti-result will be more widely accepted byconsumers a simpler process to accept.cancerous, so we need them to prevent diseases. consumers.This means people with celiac can enjoyLong-term gluten-free diets might also lead to Another area to watch is how cropthe foods they eat without the conse- malnutrition, he adds, because people wouldnt management strategies, such as thequences, he says. Were also reducing amount of nitrogen or sulfur that is applied,the danger from cross-contaminationget enough micronutrients that they need. If affect gluten levels. If we will also do thewith regular wheat, as the enzymes inyou compare wheat and corn, wheat is very correct management, we can significantlyour wheat will break down that gluten asnutrition-rich. reduce these toxic proteins from gettingwell.SW54/ SEEDWORLD.COMOCTOBER 2019'