TY - JOUR AU - PROF. PICHOULE SHINDE, PROF.DROBPRY; PY - 2021/01/28 Y2 - 2024/03/28 TI - PLANT PREBIOTICS AND HUMAN HEALTH: BIOTECHNOLOGY TO BREED PREBIOTIC-RICH NUTRITIOUS FOOD CROPS JF - International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research and Studies JA - ijmras VL - 4 IS - 01 SE - Articles DO - UR - https://ijmras.com/index.php/ijmras/article/view/89 SP - AB - <p>Microbiota&nbsp;within the&nbsp;gut plays essential roles in human health. Prebiotics are non-digestible complex carbohydrates that are fermented&nbsp;within the&nbsp;colon, yielding energy and short-chain fatty acids, and selectively promote&nbsp;the expansion&nbsp;of Bifidobacteria and Lactobacillus&nbsp;within the&nbsp;digestive tract. Fructans and inulin are the best-characterized plant prebiotics. Many vegetable, root, and tuber crops&nbsp;similarly&nbsp;as some fruit crops are the best-known sources of prebiotic carbohydrates, while the prebiotic-rich grain crops include barley, chickpea, lentil, lupin, and wheat. Some prebiotic-rich crop germplasm has been reported in barley, chickpea, lentil, wheat, yacon, and Jerusalem artichoke.&nbsp;some&nbsp;major quantitative trait loci and gene-based markers&nbsp;related to&nbsp;high fructan are known in wheat. More targeted search in genebanks using reduced subsets (representing diversity in germplasm)&nbsp;is required&nbsp;to spot&nbsp;accessions with prebiotic carbohydrates. Transgenic maize, potato, and sugarcane with high fructan, with no adverse effects on plant development,&nbsp;are&nbsp;bred, which suggests that&nbsp;it’s&nbsp;feasible to introduce fructan biosynthesis pathways in crops&nbsp;to supply&nbsp;health-imparting prebiotics. Developing prebiotic-rich and super nutritious crops will alleviate widespread malnutrition and promote human health. A paradigm shift&nbsp;in a very&nbsp;breeding program&nbsp;is required&nbsp;to realize&nbsp;this goal and&nbsp;to confirm&nbsp;that newly-bred crop cultivars are nutritious, safe, and health-promoting</p> ER -