Scientists have just discovered a new complex carbohydrate in barley, but what it can be used for?

Plants are nature, but they are very interesting to science and industry. In the walls of the cells of the plants there are various components that are useful for energy production, composite materials or food products. That is why this new research from the University of Adelaide is such a big deal – scientists have managed to discover a new complex carbohydrate in barley.

This newly discovered cereal polysaccharide is actually a rare find – nothing similar has been discovered in over 30 years. Scientists are already saying that it could find a place in food and cosmetics industries as well as pharmaceuticals. Of course, before any of that happens scientists will have to launch a more extensive research and figure out its role in the barley plant. The cereal polysaccharide in question was discovered in the roots of the barley, which means it is probably related to the growth of the plant as well as its resistance to external stresses (for example, salinity or various diseases).

This new complex carbohydrate is actually a mixture of glucose, commonly found in cellulose, and xylose, which is found in dietary fibre. Although it is too early to make accurate assumptions about the function of this substance, its sugar ratios suggest that this cereal polysaccharide could be behaving like a structural component providing strength and rigidity or somewhat opposite – like a viscous gel. Either way, a lot more research needs to be done to figure out where it could be useful for humans. For instance, there are many polysaccharides already in use – they improve the quality of dietary fibre in the food products, but they are also used in cosmetics industry as well as biomedicine.

Scientists say that this new polysaccharide could probably be manipulated to suit all kinds of applications. Dr Alan Little, scientist, whose team discovered this new cereal polysaccharide, said that they also discovered genes involved in the biosynthesis of the new polysaccharide. “The same genes can be found in all major cereal crops – not just barley. We can now use this knowledge to find ways of increasing these polysaccharides in crops, providing the possibility of generating plant material with a range of potentially different physical properties for industrial applications”, Dr Little explained.

And so we are left waiting to see what this new complex carbohydrate can be used for. It will take some time while scientists complete their researches, but there is little doubt that it will have an application in one or another industry.

Source: University of Adelaide