Increasing our fibre intake

Plant Science

Could it be possible to make cereals with specific fibre uses - some for beer and some for breakfast?

Dr Rachel Burton says it is. The University of Adelaide molecular biologist and her colleagues have helped identify a family of genes which are responsible for making dietary fibre in cereals, which could lead to a more nutritious diet for both animals and people.

The same genes determine how much beta-glucan is produced in the barley grains used for brewing.

Beta-glucans, an important component of dietary fibre, help prevent and treat colorectal cancer, obesity, non-insulin-dependent diabetes, high serum cholesterol and cardiovascular disease.

Dr Burton, a member of the Discipline of Plant and Food Science at the Waite campus, was the principal author of a paper published earlier this year in the journal Science, documenting the discovery.

With her colleagues, Dr Burton is now working on increasing beta-glucan levels in cereals for human and animal consumption.

"Cereals are a big part of diets worldwide, so research into what makes them so nutritious is essential," she said.

Beta-glucans are also important in cereal processing applications like the malting and brewing of beer, and potentially in the production of bioethanol from straw.

Professor Geoff Fincher, Deputy CEO of the ACPFG and Director of the Waite campus, said the finding represented a major breakthrough.

"We've solved a problem that has perplexed large, international research laboratories in both the public and private sector for more than 30 years," he said.

The results are the culmination of more than five years work by Dr Burton and her colleagues. The research was funded primarily by the Grains Research and Development Corporation.