Answers about Tritordeum

Tritordeum is a cereal crop obtained by crossing durum wheat with the wild barley species Hordeum chilense. It was developed through conventional plant breeding and selected for agronomic, nutritional and processing traits.

The project originated in the late 1970s, when Prof. Antonio Martín worked on crosses between wheat and barley species. Among the combinations studied, the cross between durum wheat and Hordeum chilense produced fertile progeny with promising agronomic characteristics.

This new cereal was later developed through selection and breeding work led by IAS-CSIC and subsequently commercialised by Vivagran.

Tritordeum was created through hybridisation: controlled pollination between two different cereal species, durum wheat and wild barley. After the original cross, plants were selected over generations for performance, fertility, grain quality and end-use potential.

No. Tritordeum is not a GMO. It was obtained through conventional crossing and selection methods, without genetic engineering or transgenic modification.

Tritordeum is not simply a wheat variety. It is a distinct cereal crop derived from durum wheat and wild barley. Because one parent is wheat and the other is barley, Tritordeum has specific compositional, agronomic and technological characteristics.

No. Tritordeum is a modern cereal created through conventional breeding. Unlike ancient cereals such as einkorn, emmer or spelt, it was not cultivated over thousands of years.

Tritordeum is produced from two known cereal species through conventional breeding and is marketed as a cereal ingredient for uses such as flour, bread, pasta and malt. For a specific commercial product or market, regulatory compliance should always be confirmed according to its ingredients, process and country of sale.

Selection combines agronomic performance with grain and product quality. Important traits include yield stability, adaptation, protein and lutein content, bread-making behaviour, sensory quality, gluten-protein profile and enzymatic activity for malting applications.

Tritordeum originated from research conducted by IAS-CSIC. Vivagran holds the rights to exploit the breeding know-how commercially and develops commercial varieties for different value-chain applications.

Commercial varieties may be protected through plant variety rights systems such as the Community Plant Variety Office and UPOV-based national protection frameworks.

Activities involving protected varieties, seed multiplication, cultivation programmes, grain production or controlled germplasm access may require a contractual agreement with Vivagran.

Processed ingredients or final products, such as flour, malt, bread or beer, are generally managed through their normal commercial supply arrangements, subject to brand-use conditions where the Tritordeum name or logo is used.

Tritordeum has been studied in Spain and through collaborations and trials in several European and international regions. Research topics include crop adaptation, sustainability, grain quality, nutrition, bread making, malting, brewing, spirits and feed applications.

Visit the R&D Projects and Scientific Publications sections for current project and publication information.

Researchers, universities, technical centres and companies interested in trials or ingredient development can contact Vivagran with a description of their research objective, location, intended material and expected outputs.

Suitable projects may involve field evaluation, grain analysis, nutrition, food formulation, malting, brewing, distilling or other value-chain applications.

Tritordeum products such as flour, malt and finished foods are increasingly available through retailers, distributors and partner businesses. Seed and grain production are developed through licensed partners to protect varietal quality, traceability and reliable supply.

For product access, consult the Buy page. For production or licensing opportunities, contact Vivagran.

Developing a new cereal requires long-term breeding, field testing, quality validation and commercial investment. Plant variety rights and licensing help protect that investment while enabling controlled expansion through professional partners.

This approach also supports traceability, consistent identity and quality standards throughout the early stages of the value chain.

Tritordeum has been included in the Spanish PAC list of herbaceous crops under crop number 14. Farmers should always confirm current declaration requirements with their local agricultural advisory service before submission.

In Spain, Tritordeum has been commercialised as seed of a species not covered by a specific technical certification regulation. Seed is produced under quality-controlled standards and marketed with the required supplier documentation and varietal identification.

Tritordeum is a hybrid crop species, because its origin is a cross between two species: durum wheat and wild barley. Commercial Tritordeum seed is not a yearly-produced F1 hybrid seed in the conventional seed-market sense.

Tritordeum has broad adaptability and generally performs well in neutral to moderately alkaline soils. Good results have been observed in calcisol and vertisol-type soils, although performance depends on variety, fertility, rainfall and local management.

Under Mediterranean-type conditions, general reference periods are:

• Autumn sowing: mid-October to mid-November.
• Spring sowing: mid-January to mid-February.

The final decision should be adjusted to local climate, soil moisture, variety and production objective.

A general reference dose is 150–180 kg/ha. Tritordeum can show good tillering capacity, so sowing density should be adjusted according to seed size, germination percentage, sowing date and field conditions.

Conventional wheat sowing machinery can generally be used, while avoiding excessive sowing depth that could compromise emergence and tillering.

Fertilisation must be based on expected yield, soil analyses, previous crop, rainfall and local regulation. As an indicative reference for a target yield of 5 t/ha, nutrient extraction has previously been estimated around:

Product authorisations are country-specific and can change over time. In Spain, Tritordeum is classified within the winter/spring cereals group as x Tritordeum sp.. Only products currently authorised for the relevant crop group, use, dose and application timing may be used.

Tritordeum should be harvested when sufficiently dry, with grain moisture preferably below 12% and ideally around 9–11%. Its glumes can be tougher than those of wheat, making correct combine calibration particularly important.

• Check the grain tank and straw fraction during harvest.
• Adjust threshing to avoid unthreshed ears and broken grain.
• Pay attention to sieve configuration because Tritordeum grain is elongated.

Indicative yield ranges previously used for commercial guidance are:

• Rainfed conditions: approximately 3.5–5 t/ha.
• Irrigated conditions: approximately 5–8 t/ha.

Actual performance varies according to environment, variety, rainfall or irrigation, fertility, disease pressure and management.

Research and field evaluation have examined traits including adaptation to Mediterranean conditions, response to water stress and salinity, disease behaviour and performance under different management systems.

As with every crop, the expression of these traits depends on genotype, environment, soil, crop management and disease pressure. Sustainability statements should therefore be supported by the relevant trial data and local conditions.

Tritordeum has been commercially developed and tested in several countries, with production and research activities linked to Mediterranean and comparable cereal-growing regions. Its geographic availability depends on licensed seed production, market development and partner networks.

For current purchase routes and partners, consult the Buy and Licensees pages.

Tritordeum varieties are generally considered facultative and do not require a strict vernalisation period to flower. This enables flexibility for autumn or spring sowing in suitable environments. Variety-specific and local agronomic advice should guide the final sowing strategy.

Cold response depends on variety, growth stage and local conditions. Tritordeum may tolerate cold conditions in appropriate environments, but frost risk and winter hardiness must be evaluated regionally before commercial cultivation.

Tritordeum research has addressed protein content, dietary fibre, carotenoids — especially lutein — lipid composition, mineral content and gluten-protein profile. The precise composition of flour or a finished product must be confirmed through analysis.

Consult the Scientific Publications archive for supporting studies.

Arabinoxylans and fructans are carbohydrate fractions found in cereal grains. Arabinoxylans contribute to fibre composition and influence water holding and technological behaviour in cereal products. Fructans are fermentable carbohydrates naturally present in several cereals.

Their concentration in Tritordeum ingredients varies depending on grain type, milling fraction and processing conditions.

Lutein is a yellow carotenoid pigment naturally present in plants. Tritordeum flour is characterised by its yellow-golden appearance, which is linked to its carotenoid profile, including lutein and esterified lutein.

The final colour intensity varies with variety, cultivation, milling and product formulation.

Tritordeum contains gluten. Its gluten-protein composition differs from conventional wheats, and scientific studies have examined differences in specific immunogenic peptide fractions and their relevance for non-celiac populations.

No. Tritordeum derives from wheat and barley, both cereals containing gluten. It must not be consumed by people with celiac disease.

Research has investigated Tritordeum-based products in relation to gluten-protein composition and tolerance in specific non-celiac populations. However, individual tolerance varies, and no consumer should interpret this as medical advice.

People with symptoms related to cereal consumption should consult a qualified healthcare professional before changing their diet.

A general lower glycaemic-index statement cannot be made for Tritordeum as a cereal alone. Glycaemic response depends substantially on milling, fermentation, recipe composition, product structure and cooking or baking method.

Any glycaemic claim would require evidence from the specific final food product.

Nutrition claims apply to the final analysed product, not automatically to Tritordeum as an ingredient. Under Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006, examples include:

Yes. Tritordeum flour can be used as the sole cereal flour in bread and bakery formulations, although it should not be treated as a simple one-to-one wheat replacement in every recipe.

Hydration, mixing intensity, fermentation and product structure may require adjustment depending on flour type and the desired final result.

Explore applications on the How to Use Tritordeum page.

Yes. Tritordeum has been developed as malt and evaluated in brewing and distilling applications. Tritordeum malt can contribute distinctive cereal, biscuit, honey and toasted notes depending on the malt specification and recipe.

In brewing, practical attention should be given to milling, mash pH, lautering and clarity, especially when using high proportions of Tritordeum malt.

Diastatic power describes the enzymatic capacity of malt to convert starch into fermentable sugars during mashing. It is an important brewing parameter, particularly when a malt is intended to provide enzymatic conversion rather than colour or flavour alone.

The golden colour of Tritordeum flour is linked to naturally occurring carotenoid pigments, particularly lutein and esterified lutein. This characteristic can result in visibly yellow-golden crumbs in bread and bakery products.

Tritordeum is often described as having a mild cereal flavour with slightly sweet, nutty and biscuit-like notes. Processing changes its sensory expression: fermentation, toasting and malting can each highlight different aspects of the cereal.

For ingredient labelling in the European Union, Tritordeum should be identified in a way that makes its allergenic cereal origin clear. A recommended ingredient declaration is:

An explanatory statement may also be used where appropriate, for example: “Tritordeum is a cereal obtained from wheat and barley.”

Tritordeum derives from wheat and barley, both cereals containing gluten and listed in Annex II of Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011. The names of the relevant cereals must therefore be clearly indicated and emphasised in the ingredients list according to applicable food-information rules.

Tritordeum grain and standard Tritordeum ingredients contain gluten. They are therefore not suitable as gluten-free cereal ingredients. Claims on a final food must comply with the applicable legislation and must not mislead consumers.