pladis Türkiye and Sabancı University join forces for wheat

pladis Türkiye, in collaboration with Sabancı University, has achieved a milestone in its ‘Biofortification Project’—an initiative aimed at enriching wheat with zinc and selenium directly in the field. The project’s first breakthrough led to the launch of the Saklıköy Field-Enriched Grain Biscuit, made from wheat fortified through foliar fertilisation with these essential nutrients.

Led by Professor Dr. İsmail Çakmak from the Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences at Sabancı University, the Biofortification Project has enriched wheat in the fields with zinc and selenium. Through this collaboration, the enriched wheat has been transformed into flour and subsequently into a product by pladis Türkiye.

With the Biofortification Project, which has been carried out in the field for two years, the zinc content of wheat increased by 55%, and selenium content by 28 times. In biofortified whole wheat flour produced in our factory, the zinc content was found to be 46% higher, and the selenium content 18 times greater compared to flour without the application. The latest analyses revealed that these minerals can be effectively preserved during the transition from wheat to flour and successfully transferred to the products.

Ülker's limited number of Saklıköy Field Enriched Cereal, Milk Chocolate, Rice Krispies, Orange and Coconut biscuits produced with flour obtained from mineral enriched wheat were presented to consumers.

Özgür Kölükfakı, Managing Director – Türkiye and Central Asia and CEO of Ülker, stated that the sustainability of wheat, which ranks first among the raw materials they use with a 39% share, is of great importance to pladis. He continued:

"We focus on various topics, from breeding biscuit wheat to regenerative agriculture aimed at improving soil health. When developing projects, we attach great importance on collaborating with experts in the field and contributing to society and our stakeholders. The Biofortification Project was a valuable opportunity to draw attention to zinc and selenium minerals, which are highlighted in the Ministry of Health's Turkey Nutrition Guide as being deficient in our country, and to provide social benefits. Over the two-year project, the zinc and selenium content of wheat were enriched in the field. This wheat was turned into flour in our factory. Soon after, we introduced the limited-edition Saklıköy Field-Enriched Grain Biscuit to our consumers, concretizing the entire process from field to shelf."

Kölükfakı also noted ongoing collaborations with Bahri Dağdaş International Agricultural Research Institute, with whom Ülker previously developed the Aliağa Wheat for Biscuits. He emphasised their work on new wheat varieties and recalled their 2023 launch of Saklıköy Kavılca Wheat Chocolate Cream Biscuit to raise awareness about Kavılca, one of Türkiye’s most precious ancient wheat varieties with a history spanning 13,000 years.

Drawing attention to the importance of preserving soil health for pladis, Kölükfakı added:
"Through regenerative agriculture in wheat production, we place local agriculture, regional development and farmer welfare at the centre. By 2030, we aim to implement regenerative farming practices on 10,000 hectares. As of 2025, we are continuing these efforts with 101 farmers."

Prof. Dr. İsmail Çakmak: "Saklıköy's story is a model adaptable to various products."

The leader of the Biofortification Project, Prof. Dr. İsmail Çakmak, noted that tonnes of micronutrients are removed from the soil each year through plant production. Çakmak explained that this loss, which causes mineral deficiencies in foods, leads to “hidden hunger” worldwide.

Çakmak continued as follows: “If the soil is poor in minerals, so is the food, and consequently, so are humans. From this point of view, we tried to find an effective solution to the problem through our collaboration with Ülker. During its growth, the wheat transported the zinc and selenium applied to its leaves to its grain. As a result, the wheat in the field regained the zinc and selenium values it had lost in its grain. In other words, nothing that was not originally present in the wheat was added; only the minerals it had lost over time were restored to it.”

The Saklıköy biscuit, produced with this enriched wheat flour, stands as a good example of the 'field-totable' concept. Moreover, Saklıköy's journey offers a model that can be adapted to many staple foods, from bread to pasta and milk to tea. This initiative will provide farmers with new income opportunities while paving the way for more nutritious foods for consumers."