Big Boost for High Fiber Grains Research in Australia

A High Fiber Grains Research Cluster composed of the Universities of Queensland, Adelaide, Melbourne and the CSIRO will combine their skills and resources in developing wheat with improved health benefits and heightened value for the grains industry. This cluster will function through the Food Futures National Research Flagship.

“Dietary fiber contains a range of plant compounds and cellular structures that resist digestion and have the potential to lower plasma cholesterol and glycaemic index, as well as to promote regularity and improve bowel health that could help resist cancers and chronic diseases” Professor Gidley says. The Cluster will focus on the biggest source of fiber in grains - non-starch polysaccharides (NSP) of the plant cell wall: understanding its functions, the biosynthetic controls, developing strategies to manipulate their levels and composition in grains. The Cluster will invest more than $A12.7 million in the collaboration over three years, with the university partners receiving more than $A3.6 million directly from the Flagship Collaboration Fund.

See press release in http://www.csiro.au/news/HiFiClusterMedRel.html