Production of a novel resistant starches and evaluation of their human health benefits

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The aims of this proposal are to generate novel RSs through maize and barley breeding programs and evaluatetheir human health benefits following ingestion.Dietary and lifestyle-related diseases such as type-2 diabetes (T2DM), coronary heart disease, obesity andcolonic cancers are major causes of disability and premature death in westernised affluent societies andemerging nations. Increased consumption of whole grain cereal foods reduces the risk of these conditionssubstantially. In particular, resistant starch (RS) which is a component of dietary fibre makes an importantcontribution to these benefits by reducing rises in blood sugar levels following ingestion (helping to controlT2DM and reducing factors associated with cardiovascular disease) and acting as a prebiotic, promoting ahealthy lower gut microflora and mitigating incidents of colorectal cancer. RS intakes are low in populations athigh risk of the diseases of affluence, and there is a case for increasing its consumption as an effective means ofimproving nutrition for public health at the population level. Replacement of normal starches (which are themost important source of energy in the human diet) with RSs in daily consumed foods represents an idealopportunity to deliver profound health benefits to broad sectors of the population in an acceptable form.Physicochemical properties of RSs will be determined, and help determine their functionality as potential foodingredients by Maple Leaf Foods Inc. The RSs produced as a result of this program will also be used as avaluable source of research material to test hypotheses about the role of amyloplast protein complexes in theformation of RS structures. Overall, this comprehensive and multidisciplinary study of RS will create novelgermplasm, expand our knowledge in key areas of both human nutritional health and the regulation of storagestarch biosynthesis in plants, and contribute to the improvement of public health.