Sushi quinoa? Top secret project under way in B.C.

Sushi-lovers in B.C. could soon ask restaurants to wrap their California roll with quinoa instead ofwhite or brown rice.

The government ishelping fund the development of'sushiquinoa', a stickier, fluffier varietyof the ancient grain.

"I think there is a big market for sushi," saidNormLetnick, Minister of Agriculture."Given people's potential desire to have something that doesn't have rice in it, I would imagine that there would be a market for that as well."

The grain is native to South America andhas grown in popularity in the last few years. The United Nations evendeclared2013 the International Year of Quinoa.

Thesuperfoodcontainsall the essential amino acids,is protein-rich, gluten-free and easily digestible. Italso cooks much quicker than rice and can be prepared in a number of ways.

Details are a secret

Vancouver's Top Tier Foods, which makes ready-to-eat quinoa side dishes,received $4,750 to figure out how to make quinoa more sticky and suitable for sushi.

"It's a very exciting project," said Blair Bullus, president of Top Tier Foods. The company is also working with students from British ColumbiaInstitute ofTechnology to develop the idea.

But Bullus isn't revealingany details of how it's being done because the companyis still in the innovation phase.

Industry experts say so far no one is growing quinoa on a large scale in B.C.

A Saskatchewan company that has been workingwith quinoa since the early 1990's has been approached by Top Tier Foods Ltd. to develop sushi quinoa.

"We want to breed a sticky variety and a variety that ismorefluffly," saidMichaelDutcheshen, vice president of sales and marketing at Northern Quinoa Corporation.

But how they will do that is still a mystery.

Tough grain to grow

"There are 3,000 varieties, you have to pick the right ones for your location and then adaptit to Canada it's like the potato, can't plant all of them, have to see what works for you," he said.

Dutcheshen says part of why quinoa isn't being grown in B.C. is because it just recently gained popularity and picking the right variety for the climate is trial and error.

"It needs equal day morning and night and needs high altitude," he said.

The development of sushi quinoa is part of16 new projects receivingfunding to innovate theagrifoodindustry in B.C.

The funding is part offederal and provincial commitment to develop and innovative the industry under the Growing Forward 2 agreement to provide up to $13.4 million between 2013 and 2018.

So far, 95 projects havereceivedalmost $8 million in funding, withmore funding still available for other projects.

To hear the full interview click on the audio labelledWhat is the future of farming in B.C.? on the CBC's Daybreak Kamloops.