Camelina – A New Source of Omega-3 Oil
Consumption of omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to have many benefits, including promotion of cardiovascular and neurological health. These compounds have also been linked with control of behavioural problems such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children. The current major source in the human diet is fish oil, but supplies are limited by declining fish stocks, and recommended consumption of oily fish is also limited as a result of problems with heavy metal contamination. Work within MENTERRA at Bangor University is seeking to address these problems in several ways.
Alongside our work feeding high omega-3 linseed to lambs to improve the nutritional properties of their meat, we have also been investigating a new vegetable source of omega-3, camelina, sometimes called gold of pleasure. Camelina is a short-season, low-input crop, which despite having a very small seed size (each less than 1mg in weight, compared to about 50mg for wheat or barley) is highly competitive against weeds, even at early growth stages. Recommended nitrogen application rate is 70kg per ha (compared to 200kg for wheat) and the only chemical application usually needed is a pre-harvest desiccant, either diquat or glyphosate. Initial promising results in field experiments at Henfaes in 2004 led to successful commercial-scale trialling on Dwyfor farms in 2005. Camelina was grown near Aberdaron, where the problems in drilling tiny seeds were overcome by broadcasting. This crop yielded just under 2 t/ha.
Camelina seed contains about 35% oil, of which 40% is omega-3 fatty acids. Unlike linseed, camelina oil can be refined to have a neutral flavour and therefore is suitable for a wide variety of culinary uses, including salad dressings, mayonnaise and even shallow frying.
As a source of omega-3 in the human diet, camelina oil offers major sustainability advantages over fish oils. As a low-input crop it is capable of providing for a growing omega-3 market whilst eliminating much of the environmental damage that other sources might cause.
Dr Jim Dimmock
University of Wales Bangor
Naked Barley – A Bright Future for an Ancient Crop
Barley with free-threshing grains, or naked barley, originated in Iran several thousand years ago and spread throughout Asia, Europe and North Africa. In Europe barley, together with rye, was used for bread production in areas such as Wales where conditions were marginal for growing wheat. However improved agricultural techniques meant that wheat bread, once only an expensive luxury, became available to all.
After centuries of neglect, there is renewed interest in Europe and North America in naked barley as a health food. Naked barley may be used without the need for pearling – an abrasive treatment that removes the husk, along with the bran layer underneath. Soluble fibre such as b-glucan in whole grain barley can help decrease cholesterol and control blood sugar levels, protecting against heart disease and diabetes. Varieties from Sweden, Germany and the Czech Republic were tested at the Henfaes Research Centre, achieving yields of around 70% of conventional spring barley. This suggests that the crop would be viable with a suitable premium over husked varieties. We hope to trial some of these varieties on farm for harvest 2006.
Although it was succeeded by wheat as the staple diet of Europeans, naked barley thrived in the Himalayas, as barley can cope with thin soils, short growing seasons and high altitude. Here it hybridised with Asian wild barleys and the isolated conditions produced a rich diversity of forms. We are currently multiplying seed of some of these varieties, kindly donated by the John Innes Centre. These will be grown at Henfaes in 2006, along with experimental lines from ICARDA/CIMMYT in Aleppo.
Dr. Edward Dickin
University of Wales Bangor
The role of the MENTERRA staff in the University of Wales Bangor (UWB) School of Agricultural and Forest Sciences is to develop and research new opportunities for Gwynedd farmers. They will be based at the new Agri-Innovation Centre at Henfaes, Abergwyngregyn.
The School’s position amongst the best in Britain was confirmed in the last Research Assessment Exercise, when the department was awarded a Grade 5 as recognition for producing research of international importance.
This is the type of expertise that will be useful for the MENTERRA project to develop new initiatives for Gwynedd farmers, during a time when all farmers need to consider the requirements of the market carefully.
Any initiative developed under the name of the project will need to be innovative and appropriate to the landscape and climate of Gwynedd. As well as conducting trials at Henfaes, crucial work will be carried out on the farms of the county, where the University’s scientists, in partnership with the Agricultural Enterprise Officers (Cymad) and the local farmers, will be testing the performance of these new initiatives under proper commercial circumstances.
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