ORCID Profile
0000-0002-9030-7190
Current Organisation
University of Adelaide
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Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 29-07-2022
DOI: 10.1186/S42238-022-00156-7
Abstract: Industrial hemp, with low levels of the intoxicating cannabinoid tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), is grown for fibre and seeds. The industrial hemp industry is poised for expansion. The legalisation of industrial hemp as an agricultural commodity and the inclusion of hemp seed in foods is helping to drive the expansion of the hemp food ingredients industry. This paper discusses the opportunity to build an industrial hemp industry, with a focus on the prospects of hemp seed and its components in food applications. The market opportunities for industrial hemp products are examined. Various aspects of the science that underpins the development of an industrial hemp industry through the food supply chain are presented. This includes a discussion on the agronomy, on-farm and post-harvest considerations and the various types of food ingredients that can be made from hemp seed. The characteristics of hemp seed meal, hemp seed protein and hemp seed oil are reviewed. Different processes for production of value-added ingredients from hemp seed, hemp seed oil and hemp seed protein, are examined. The applicability of hemp seed ingredients in food applications is reviewed. The design of hemp seed ingredients that are fit-for-purpose for target food applications, through the selection of varieties and processing methods for production of various hemp seed ingredients, needs to consider market-led opportunities. This will require an integrated through chain approach, combined with the development of on-farm and post-farm strategies, to ensure that the hemp seed ingredients and foods containing hemp seed are acceptable to the consumer.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 24-02-2020
DOI: 10.1186/S13007-020-00569-6
Abstract: Myxospermy is a process by which the external surfaces of seeds of many plant species produce mucilage—a polysaccharide-rich gel with numerous fundamental research and industrial applications. Due to its functional properties the mucilage can be difficult to remove from the seed and established methods for mucilage extraction are often incomplete, time-consuming and unnecessarily wasteful of precious seed stocks. Here we tested the efficacy of several established protocols for seed mucilage extraction and then downsized and adapted the most effective elements into a rapid, small-scale extraction and analysis pipeline. Within 4 h, three chemically- and functionally-distinct mucilage fractions were obtained from myxospermous seeds. These fractions were used to study natural variation and demonstrate structure–function links, to screen for known mucilage quality markers in a field trial, and to identify research and industry-relevant lines from a large mutant population. The use of this pipeline allows rapid analysis of mucilage characteristics from erse myxospermous germplasm which can contribute to fundamental research into mucilage production and properties, quality testing for industrial manufacturing, and progressing breeding efforts in myxospermous crops.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 23-05-2022
DOI: 10.1111/JAC.12603
Abstract: Plantago ovata Forssk. is an emerging crop yielding psyllium husk, a material comprised of hydrophilic polysaccharides that form mucilage upon wetting. Psyllium husk has important industrial uses including as a dietary fibre supplement and a textural alternative in gluten‐free bread production. Industrial applications require high‐quality and purity psyllium husk, but consistent supply of uniform quality material is often limited by climatic constraints, especially unseasonable rainfall at crop maturity. Here we compared the seed quality of four P. ovata varieties harvested before and after 26 mm of rain and validated our key findings in the following season. Colourimetry showed that the rain event caused the seeds to be darker and greener, possibly from pigment oxidation and microbial growth. Sugar profiling, water absorption assays and microscopy showed that premature hydration of the husk in rain‐damaged s les caused loss of the most soluble mucilage components and an increase in non‐mucilage contaminants, leading to a reduction in seed water absorption capacity, which is a key indicator of psyllium husk functionality. Germination was also diminished in rain‐affected seeds. In this study we show for the first time the extent that unseasonable rain at maturity has on P. ovata seed quality. We suggest that rain‐damaged seeds are unsuitable for husk production and resowing and outline potential screening methods to identify rain‐damaged seeds before purchase. Additionally, the extensive quality impacts described here may make P. ovata a suitable model or indicator species for studying acute climate effects on seed quality, especially from rain.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 16-07-2020
DOI: 10.1038/S41598-020-68685-W
Abstract: Seed mucilage polysaccharide production, storage and release in Plantago ovata is strikingly different to that of the model plant Arabidopsis . We have used microscopy techniques to track the development of mucilage secretory cells and demonstrate that mature P. ovata seeds do not have an outer intact cell layer within which the polysaccharides surround internal columellae. Instead, dehydrated mucilage is spread in a thin homogenous layer over the entire seed surface and upon wetting expands directly outwards, away from the seed. Observing mucilage expansion in real time combined with compositional analysis allowed mucilage layer definition and the roles they play in mucilage release and architecture upon hydration to be explored. The first emergent layer of hydrated mucilage is rich in pectin, extremely hydrophilic, and forms an expansion front that functions to ‘jumpstart’ hydration and swelling of the second layer. This next layer, comprising the bulk of the expanded seed mucilage, is predominantly composed of heteroxylan and appears to provide much of the structural integrity. Our results indicate that the synthesis, deposition, desiccation, and final storage position of mucilage polysaccharides must be carefully orchestrated, although many of these processes are not yet fully defined and vary widely between myxospermous plant species.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 14-12-2020
DOI: 10.1111/NPH.17095
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 05-2023
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 16-06-2020
DOI: 10.1101/2020.06.15.153395
Abstract: Mucilage is a hydrophilic mixture of polysaccharides produced by seeds of many species, and used in research, industrial processes and as human health supplements. As such, demand often outweighs supply. In recent years, several researchers have reported that mucilage can be produced efficiently from in vitro- cultured calli as a direct ‘plant-less’ alternative to seed mucilage however, this mucilage has not been rigorously characterised. Here we replicate previously published culturing and extraction procedures and couple them with compositional analysis to determine whether the mucilage produced from Plantago ovata and P. lanceolata calli are similar to seed mucilage. Our monosaccharide profiling and microscopy show that, while calli derived from either seedling hypocotyls or roots yield more material than seeds using the same extraction techniques, the majority of extract mass is cellular debris. Debris polysaccharide composition was significantly different to seed mucilage from both species. Plant tissue culture as an alternative source of high yields of useful mucilage polysaccharides, at least by these and similar methods, is likely to not be possible.
Publisher: PeerJ
Date: 26-11-2021
DOI: 10.7717/PEERJ.12525
Abstract: The term ‘superfoods’ is used to market foods considered to have significant health benefits. ‘Superfoods’ are claimed to prevent diseases as well as improving overall health, though the lack of explicit criteria means that any food can be labelled ‘super’ without support from scientific research. Typically, these ‘superfoods’ are rich in a particular nutrient for ex le antioxidants or omega-3 fatty acids. The objective of this study was to investigate the nutritional properties of a selection of superfood seeds: flax, chia, hulled sunflower and two types of processed hemp seeds and determine whether they may have potential health benefits. We developed a simple aqueous extraction method for ground seeds and analysed their composition by mineral, protein and monosaccharide analyses. Cell viability assays were performed on Caco-2 and IEC-6 intestinal epithelial cells using increasing doses of the prepared extracts. Increased cell viability was observed in both cell lines with increasing concentrations of the flax seed, chia seed or hulled sunflower extracts ( P 0.05). Compositional analyses revealed the presence of polysaccharides, proteins and essential minerals in the aqueous extracts and in vitro assays showed sunflower had the highest antioxidant activity. However, differences in extract composition and antioxidant properties could not be directly related to the observed increase in cell viability suggesting that other components in the extracts may be responsible. Future studies will further characterize these extracts and investigate whether they are beneficial for gastrointestinal health.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 16-06-2021
DOI: 10.1038/S41598-021-92114-1
Abstract: When wetted, Plantago seeds become covered with a polysaccharide-rich gel called mucilage that has value as a food additive and bulking dietary fibre. Industrially, the dry husk layer that becomes mucilage, called psyllium, is milled off Plantago ovata seeds , the only commercial-relevant Plantago species, while the residual inner seed tissues are either used for low value animal feed or discarded. We suggest that this practice is potentially wasting a highly nutritious resource and here describe the use of histological, physicochemical, and chromatographic analyses to compare whole seed composition/characteristics of P. ovata with 11 relatives already adapted to harsh Australian conditions that may represent novel commercial crop options. We show that substantial interspecific differences in mucilage yield and macromolecular properties are mainly a consequence of differences in heteroxylan and pectin composition and probably represent wide differences in hydrocolloid functionality that can be exploited in industry. We also show that non-mucilage producing inner seed tissues contain a substantial mannan-rich endosperm, high in fermentable sugars, protein, and fats. Whole seed Plantago flour, particularly from some species obtained from harsh Australian environments, may provide improved economic and health benefits compared to purified P. ovata psyllium husk, by retaining the functionality of the seed mucilage and providing additional essential nutrients.
Publisher: Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)
Date: 2023
DOI: 10.1039/D2FO03002K
Abstract: The gel-like nutlet mucilage of chia ( Salvia hispanica L.) is a complex network of several polymers. These dietary fibres protect chia nutlets from microbial fermentation but grinding the seeds improves fermentation and access to other key nutrients.
No related grants have been discovered for James Cowley.