Tritordeum is a hybrid crop, obtained by crossing

durum wheat Durum wheat (), also called pasta wheat or macaroni wheat (''Triticum durum'' or ''Triticum turgidum'' subsp. ''durum''), is a Polyploid, tetraploid species of wheat. It is the second most cultivated species of wheat after common wheat, although ...

with the wild barley ''

Hordeum chilense ''Hordeum chilense'' is a species of wild barley native to Chile and Argentina. A diploid, it is used or being explored for use in barley crop improvement due to its resistance to '' Zymoseptoria tritici'' septoria leaf blotch, its high seed yell ...

''. It has less

gliadin Gliadin (a type of prolamin) is a class of proteins present in wheat and several other cereals within the grass genus ''Triticum''. Gliadins, which are a component of gluten, are essential for giving bread the ability to rise properly during baki ...

(gluten) than wheat, but still performs well in breads, both in terms of dough rising and texture qualities, and in taste-testing, where it substantially outperformed gluten-free breads. It has ten times more

lutein Lutein (;"Lutein"

oleic acid Oleic acid is a fatty acid that occurs naturally in various animal and vegetable fats and oils. It is an odorless, colorless oil, although commercial samples may be yellowish. In chemical terms, oleic acid is classified as a monounsaturated omega ...

, and more fiber than wheat, giving products made from it a yellower hue and a pleasant flavor profile. Pain de tritordeum

Under development by the

Spanish National Research Council The Spanish National Research Council ( es, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, CSIC) is the largest public institution dedicated to research in Spain and the third largest in Europe. Its main objective is to develop and promote res ...

since 1977, it was launched onto the market in April 2013 by the start-up Agrasys company created under the auspices of the

University of Barcelona The University of Barcelona ( ca, Universitat de Barcelona, UB; ; es, link=no, Universidad de Barcelona) is a public university located in the city of Barcelona, Catalonia, in Spain. With 63,000 students, it is one of the biggest universities i ...

to commercialize the cereal. It is planted on about 1300 ha in Portugal, Spain, France, Italy and Turkey. It does better in hotter and drier growing conditions than wheat, using less water. Because of this water-saving feature, it won first prize for a Sustainable Ingredient in the 2018 Sustainable Food Awards organized by Ecovia Intelligence.

References

{{Taxonbar, from1=Q11953163 Cereals Pooideae Food plant hybrids