Production of Inulin Prebiotic in GM Maize, Potato
July 6, 2007| |
Inulin is a type of fructan used in food ingredients as a low calorie sweetener or a source of a water-soluble dietary fiber. The compound has been increasingly used for improving food and feed quality as a prebiotic helping promote the growth of beneficial organisms in large intestines of animals.
Chicory root and Jerusalem artichoke tubers are the industrial sources of inulin. The paper reported that the dicot genes for inulin 1-sst and 1-fft from Jerusalem artichoke were fully functional in the genetically modified monocot maize. Inulin at 1.5 - 5 mg /g fresh weight was obtained in the four generations transgenic maize kernels. This is higher than 2.6 mg/g tuber inulin in GM potato with similar genes. These inulin concentrations are within the range of values recommended for prebiotics in animal feed which requires less than 1% to improve gut microbial ecology, said the researchers.
The paper can be accessed by journal subscribers at http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.plantsci.2007.04.011.
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