Research collaboration to deliver healthier grains

The University of Queensland’s newest institute, the Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation (QAAFI), is part of a national effort to fast-track development of new ‘healthier’ varieties of three of the world’s most widely cultivated cereal grains.

The new ‘High Fibre Grains Cluster’ will focus on wheat, barley and rice. One of the primary research goals is to boost the amount of beneficial compounds, such as beta glucans and arabinoxylans, which are key contributors to the soluble component of dietary fibre in the various grains.

The collaboration between QAAFI, CSIRO’s Food Futures Flagship, The University of Adelaide and The University of Melbourne will bring together Australia’s foremost plant and human nutrition researchers with the aim of boosting the healthy fibre content of common grains.

The cluster will invest more than $7 million over three years, with the university partners receiving more than $3.4 million from the Flagship Collaboration Fund. The Fund was established to enable the skills of the wider Australian and global research community to be applied to the major national challenges targeted by CSIRO's Flagship research programs.

The High Fibre Grains Cluster follows on from a previous Flagship Collaboration Cluster, which was set up to investigate the biggest source of fibre in grains – non-starch polysaccharides in the plant cell wall. The three year program, which concluded in March this year, focussed on the functions of non-starch polysaccharides, factors controlling their synthesis and improving the ability to manipulate their levels and composition in grains.

Media: Julie Lloyd, QAAFI Communications Manager, 0415 799 890.