Characterisation of the structure and biosynthesis of wheat grain mannans

Mannans are polysaccharides (complex carbohydrates) present in plant walls but little known in cereal grains. In plants, mannans are located in the cell walls, and in some plants they accumulate in reserve organs (e.g. galactomannans in guar seeds).

The structure of mannans influences their properties (solubility, water absorption, gelling capacity). Their content and structure vary depending on the plant raw material. The mannans in cereal grains had never before been isolated or studied.

From a fundamental point of view, the prospects of this work would be to elucidate the function of mannans in plant organs. From a more applied point of view, the aim would be to determine the role of cereal mannans in the usage properties of grain, for example in the digestive health of farm animals, for which a deleterious role for mannans has been suggested.