University of Adelaide researchers have discovered a new complex carbohydrate in barley.
The first of its kind to be discovered in over 30 years, the cereal polysaccharide has potential applications in food, medicine and cosmetics.
The research by the University of Adelaide's School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, has been published in the American Chemistry Society journal ACS Central Science.
The new polysaccharide, discovered by Senior Research Scientist Dr Alan Little, and the team at the former ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Cell Walls, located at the University's Waite campus, has the potential to be exploited for many uses.
"Plant cell walls contain components that are of major interest for many industries such as renewable sources for energy production, composite materials or food products," says Dr Little.