Climate change, associated with phenomena such as El Niño, are pushing temperatures to record levels and heat waves have increased from nine to 62 in the last 10 seasons, and 2024 will be no exception, the research states. According to Dr. Anita Arenas, from the Millennium Institute of Integrative Biology and the Talca University, responsible for the research, these episodes affect both the weight and quality of wheat grain, which is key to world food security.

One of the main results, he said, was that in response to the high temperatures, the so-called durum wheat suffered a weight loss of -23.9 percent, the starch content decreased and the protein level increased.

Arenas indicated that on this last point, further analysis will be necessary to determine whether the increase in protein is accompanied by a change in gluten composition.

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