Barley and uses thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10154632-B2
Application number	US-201013387973-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 30, 2010
Priority date	Jul 30, 2009
Publication date	Dec 18, 2018
Grant date	Dec 18, 2018

Abstract

The invention provides barley gain comprising a reduced level or activity of starch synthase IIa protein and a starch content of at least 41% (w/w) and methods of producing, identifying and using same. The grain may comprise an amylase content of at least 50%, a β-glucan content of 5-9% (w/w) or greater than 9% (w/w), and/or a fructan content of 3-11% (w/w). The fructan may comprise a degree of polymerization from about 3 to about 12. For example, the plant and grain comprises a sex6-292 allele and/or an amo1 mutation. A food or beverage product, and methods of producing a food or beverage product, comprising obtaining or producing the subject grain and processing the grain to produce the product. Also contemplated are methods of improving one or more indicators of health in a mammal comprising administering a composition comprising the subject barley grain or a product comprising same.

First claim

The claims defining the invention are as follows:

1. Barley grain comprising (i) a loss of function mutation in an endogenous gene encoding starch synthase IIa (SSIIa), (ii) an amo1-AC38 allele, and (iii) a starch content of at least 47% (w/w), wherein the barley grain is homozygous for the loss of function mutation in the endogenous gene encoding SSIIa and for the amo1-AC38 allele and the barley grain lacks detectable SSIIa protein in the endosperm of the grain.

2. The grain of claim 1 , comprising a starch content of at least 50% (w/w).

3. The grain of claim 1 , comprising an amylose content of at least 50% as a proportion of the total starch in the grain.

4. The grain of claim 1 , comprising a β-glucan content of 5-9% (w/w), or greater than 9% (w/w).

5. The grain of claim 1 , comprising a fructan content of 3-11% (w/w).

6. The grain of claim 5 , wherein the fructan comprises a degree of polymerization from about 3 to about 12.

7. The grain of claim 1 , wherein the loss of function mutation in the endogenous gene encoding the SSIIa is comprised in a sex6-292 allele.

8. The grain of claim 1 , which is hulless barley grain.

9. The grain of claim 1 which is a wholegrain or a cracked, ground, polished, milled, kibbled, rolled or pearled grain.

10. A barley plant capable of producing the grain according to claim 1 .

11. Barley wholemeal or flour produced from the grain according to claim 1 .

12. A process for making a food or beverage product, wherein the process comprises:
(i) obtaining or producing barley grain according to claim 1 ; and
(ii) processing the grain to produce the product.

13. A process for making a barley plant capable of producing grain which has a starch content of at least 47% (w/w) and lacking detectable SSIIa protein in the endosperm of the grain, wherein the barley plant is homozygous for an amo1-AC38 allele, and wherein the method comprises: (i) introducing into said plant a loss of function mutation in an endogenous gene encoding starch synthase IIa (SSIIa), and producing a barley plant that is homozygous for the mutation in the endogenous gene encoding SSIIa and for the amo1-AC38 allele, and
(ii) selecting the barley plant which produces said grain having a starch content of a least 47% (w/w) and lacking detectable SSIIa protein in the endosperm of the grain.

14. A food product comprising a food ingredient at a level of at least 10% on a dry weight basis, wherein the food ingredient is a hulless barley grain of claim 8 or wholemeal or flour obtained therefrom, wherein the wholemeal or flour comprises a reduced level or activity of SSIIa protein and a starch content of at least 47% (w/w).

15. A method of determining the amount of fructan in barley grain, comprising the step of obtaining barley grain according to claim 1 , processing the grain so as to extract the fructan, and measuring the amount of extracted fructan so as to determine the amount of fructan in the grain.

16. The grain of claim 1 which has a seed weight of at least 44.7 mg.

17. The grain of claim 8 has a seed weight of at least 44.7 mg.

Assignees

• Li Zhongyi
• Morell Matthew Kennedy
• Commw Scient Ind Res Org
• Australian Capital Ventures Ltd

Inventors

• Li Zhongyi
• Morell Matthew Kennedy

Classifications

• A61P35/00

  Antineoplastic agents · CPC title

• A61P9/00

  Drugs for disorders of the cardiovascular system · CPC title

• A61P9/12

  Antihypertensives · CPC title

• A61P3/10

  for hyperglycaemia, e.g. antidiabetics · CPC title

• A61P3/06

  Antihyperlipidemics · CPC title