Plant breeders have developed a new popcorn variety with twice as much of certain nutrients as regular varieties.
The story starts with Quality Protein Maize (QPM), which spread in the 1990s. It carries the opaque-2 gene, which raises levels of lysine and tryptophan, two amino acids important for human health. QPM was developed through conventional breeding.
Several countries began growing QPM because of its high nutritional value. The variety had a drawback, though: its kernels were too soft. That made the plants prone to disease and vulnerable to pests.
Researchers at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln tried to change the QPM genes again but could not make the kernels hard. Later they identified the genes responsible for kernel hardness and crossed several generations of QPM with traditional popcorn varieties that carry those genes. The result was a lysine-rich hybrid with hard kernels that pop well when heated: Quality Protein Popcorn, or QPP.
Blind taste tests were held to judge the new popcorn, and participants preferred the flavor of QPP.
The breeders believe the variety could become the basis for a line of snacks that are crunchy and more nutritious.
