Triticale goes from feed grain to bread grain

A Swiss agro-science and production consortium is participating in the Triticale+ project, which aims to transform the crop from fodder into food for humans.

This is what Peter Jossi writes in an article on the Swiss agro-portal LID.CH. In Switzerland, triticale has been known as a feed grain for decades. The first selection dates back to the 19th century. The initial goal was to combine the unpretentiousness of rye with the quality of wheat.

Stefan Scheuner is the director of Swissgranum, an organization representing the interests of the Swiss grain, oilseed and protein industries. When asked about the potential of triticale as a bread grain, Stefan Scheuner emphasizes that the main factor is the specific demand from interested mills and bakeries for new varieties and niche products. On this basis, professional marketing and communication concepts must be developed.

A number of prerequisites and requirements must be clarified when developing appropriate processing programs. “Problems arise along the entire chain,” explains Stefan Scheuner, listing the most important criteria based on experience: “From an agronomic point of view, yield, yield stability, quality and susceptibility to diseases are of primary importance. Acceptance, cleaning and storage criteria must be clearly defined in advance. “Ultimately, quality, ingredients, colour and processing parameters are the key factors during processing.”

In contrast to the proven cultivation of triticale as a feed grain, the development of high-quality bread grain varieties is the beginning of a long breeding process. This is where the “Triticale+” project, initiated by the GZPK (German Association of Agricultural Research Centers), comes into play – the breeding company Peter Kunz gzpk is conducting pioneering work to transform feed grain into high-quality bread grain.

On the Swiss side, the research institute Agroscope, the seed supplier Delley Samen und Pflanzen AG and the industry organization Swissgranum are involved. The project is partly financed by the Swiss Federal Office for Agriculture (FOAG). After three years of the project, it will run until the summer of 2025.

The first phase of Triticale+ has two main goals: the registration of forage triticale varieties in the list of varieties recommended for cultivation. This list is updated every few years by Agroscope and Swissgranum. Since the start of the project three years ago, 14 varieties have been tested agronomically. Several varieties have been found to be of high quality for inclusion in the list. On this basis, a concrete promotion of triticale for human consumption will be possible. The focus is on the use of triticale as bread for the production of bread and bakery products.

“We want to develop cereals for human consumption,” says Matthias Müller, a triticale breeder who is convinced of the prospects. Triticale is not just a mixture of rye and wheat, but a separate grain, he emphasizes: “In view of our ongoing breeding work, we want to focus on this even more in the future. The niche variety Tripanem is currently on the market, a newly developed organic variety. It was grown biodynamically from the start, making it optimally adapted to organic farming.

“The results of the project show that bread triticale has the potential to expand beyond its niche,” says Matthias Müller, commenting on the specific goals.

The Richemont Bakery School, which is responsible for baking the bread grain for test purposes, confirms the suitability of triticale for bread production, for example in the traditional and proven rye-wheat bread or for other special breads.

“My vision is that triticale will be accepted as a bread grain, a full-fledged crop rotation crop, a bread grain and a food product. I am convinced of this. The first test bakes with commercial organic bakeries have already taken place. Next, we are planning a project with farm bakeries. It is great when direct marketing is interested in grain. However, direct marketing does not require a formal testing process and a list of recommended varieties, as it is a closed marketing cycle. The development of bread triticale on a larger scale will require projects with the processing industry. We are thinking about strip tests and larger-scale baking tests, as well as baking recommendations for the baking industry. We are approaching such projects as follow-up projects to the Triticale+ project. Funding is the main obstacle here. Ultimately, work on different scales is necessary, as they can mutually enrich each other. In any case, there is still a lot of work to do before triticale is on everyone’s lips,” says Matthias Müller.

“In Switzerland, triticale is used almost exclusively as a feed grain. The exceptions are a few artisanal bakeries and farm bakeries. In other countries, triticale is grown in general and is also used for human consumption. In Eastern Europe, for example in Poland, Estonia and Ukraine, triticale is bred and used as a bread grain. Research into the development of bread triticale is also underway in the USA,” he added.

To advance the breeding development of bread triticale, the second subproject examined six breeding lines to determine their suitability as bread triticale. There is currently no variety testing procedure specifically designed for bread triticale. This means that bread triticale must match the yield of feed triticale and also have good baking qualities.

Matthias Müller explains the problems with traditional variety testing: “A testing procedure focused on feed grain creates conflicting goals: a high protein content, one indicator of good baking qualities, usually leads to a decrease in yield.”

A testing scheme with an adapted calculation key was therefore developed in the course of the project. It is planned that bread triticale varieties will be officially tested using this method from 2028 onwards. “However, the testing rules must first be adapted. Once this adaptation has been achieved, triticale can be specifically tested and approved as a bread grain for the first time,” says Matthias Müller.

The new testing scheme provides a good starting point for triticale breeding at the GZPK.

“It helps us see which parameters we need to focus on in breeding so that a variety has a chance of being optimally suited for both agriculture and processing,” explains Matthias Müller. The new testing scheme also means that with the triticale varieties that will be tested in the future, mills and bakeries will know what they are up against when processing triticale.

The official approval of bread triticale is an important prerequisite for specific cultivation and marketing cooperation. For triticale to be fit for human consumption in the future, it must be grown by agricultural companies. This requires mills and bakeries to be willing to collaborate, develop high-quality product lines, and win over their customers.

At every stage of the value chain, it is necessary to arouse consumer interest in triticale and convey a compelling product story to customers.

Tags: triticale