Bread made with selenium-enriched wheat flour could hit supermarket shelves shortly following a tie-up between crop scientists, upmarket retailer Marks & Spencer (M&S) and a fertiliser firm.
The government-backed BAGELS project has been testing the hypothesis that levels of selenium in wheat can be increased safely through the use of selenium-enriched fertilisers.
The project has also been looking at how to utilise natural genetic variations in grain selenium concentrations to breed for selenium-enriched wheat, said professor Steve McGrath, a plant scientist from Rothamsted Research: "You could take supplements, but if we can breed varieties of wheat that are naturally higher in selenium, or enrich wheat crops via biofortification, people could get their RDI (recommended daily intake) from everyday staples like bread. If animals were fed on these crops as well, we could get selenium into an even wider range of products."
The project, which ends in March 2009, has been a big success, with M&S now working on several test bakes, he said. "By adding 20g of selenium per hectare via fertiliser, you can produce bread that contains 7 micrograms of selenium a slice. If you had a few slices, you'd be well on the way to your RDI."