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Review
. 2014 May;59(3):312-326.
doi: 10.1016/j.jcs.2014.01.001.

Improving cereal grain carbohydrates for diet and health

Domenico Lafiandra  1 , Gabriele Riccardi  2 , Peter R Shewry  3
Affiliations
Review

Improving cereal grain carbohydrates for diet and health

Domenico Lafiandra et al. J Cereal Sci. 2014 May.

Abstract

Starch and cell wall polysaccharides (dietary fibre) of cereal grains contribute to the health benefits associated with the consumption of whole grain cereal products, including reduced risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and colorectal cancer. The physiological bases for these effects are reviewed in relation to the structures and physical properties of the polysaccharides and their behaviour (including digestion and fermentation) in the gastro-intestinal tract. Strategies for modifying the content and composition of grain polysaccharides to increase their health benefits are discussed, including exploiting natural variation and using mutagenesis and transgenesis to generate further variation. These studies will facilitate the development of new types of cereals and cereal products to face the major health challenges of the 21st century.

Keywords: Arabinoxylan; Beta-glucan; Cereals; Dietary fibre; Health benefits; Starch.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Schematic (top) and detailed (bottom) structures of wheat starchy endosperm arabinoxylan.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Pathway of starch biosynthesis in wheat. Modified from Tian et al. (2009) with permission.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
The content of WE-AX in four and bran of 150 wheat lines, expressed as % TOT-AX. Based on data reported by Gebruers et al. (2008).
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Proposed pathway of arabinoxylan synthesis. Key enzymes are in blue boxes. (For interpretation of the references to color in this figure legend, the reader is referred to the web version of this article.)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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