Rachel A. Burton
Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Plant Cell Walls, School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, University of Adelaide, Urrbrae, SA 5064, Australia
Some plant seeds produce mucilage upon contact with water. Two well-known examples are Plantago ovata and Chia (Salvia hispanica). The dry mucilage from Plantago is removed from seeds by milling and marketed as Metamucil® whilst Chia is sweeping across the planet as a “superfood”; both are promoted as being beneficial for human health, including for the control of Type II diabetes, coronary heart disease and colon cancer. These claims are based on the bacterial fermentation of the polysaccharides within the mucilage, once it reaches the large intestine. We have undertaken a detailed biochemical analysis of both mucilage types and have carried out in vitro fermentation studies, allowing metagenomic profiling of the bacterial species able to metabolise the polysaccharide components. Transcriptome analysis is also underway to identify genes encoding polysaccharide synthases, information also relevant to economically important cereals wheat and barley which contain similar polysaccharides in the grain. Genes from Chia may be particularly interesting as this mucilage contains novel polysaccharide components that haven’t been identified in other higher plants.