(Aug. 30) – The Italian universities of Bari and Molise are working with the University of Adelaide to produce better quality pasta that also adds greater value to human health. Two research projects – being conducted by the ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Cell Walls at the University’s Waite Campus – will start next month in collaboration with researchers from the two Italian universities. The aim of the ARC Centre of Excellence is to look at the fundamental role of cell walls (biomass) in plants and discover how they can be better utilized. Both of these new projects will investigate key aspects of the cell walls in durum wheat, which is commonly used for making pasta. The first project, in conjunction with the University of Bari, will investigate how the growth of durum wheat affects the levels of starch and dietary fiber within it, and how the fiber levels in pasta can be improved. The second project, in conjunction with the University of Molise, will investigate the important roles played by two major components of dietary fiber – arabinoxylans and beta-glucans – in the quality of pasta and bread dough. Both of these projects have received funding and support from the South Australian Government, local governments in Italy, the University of Adelaide and the ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Cell Walls. (Peg)
