Grain crops based Entrepreneurship training for Nutraceuticals Biscuits Development- Promoting Rural Startups

partially funded

Dietary fibres mostly resist digestion in upper GI tract and support beneficial microorganism in the gut. Cereal based dietary fibres like non-digestible oligosaccharides [fructans, fructooligo-saccharides galacto oligosaccharides or GOS], polydextrose, resistant starch, xylo-oligosaccharides, isomaltooligosaccharides, and lactulose are important carbon sources for the microbiota via their microbial metabolites, such as short chain fatty acids [SCFAs]. SCFAs are produced by gut microbiota because of carbohydrate fermentation via different metabolic pathways. SCFAs exert diverse protective effects against chronic diseases by maintaining gut barrier function, by reducing the luminal pH, promoting lipogenesisor gluconeogenesis, and preventing metabolite diseases. Acetic acid, propanoic acid and butyric acid represent 90percentage-95percentage SCFAs in the colon. Large number of plant based novel dietary fibres are being introduced in pharma industry, cosmetics industry and food industries as fat and sugar replacers along with potential prebiotic molecule as fermentable substrates for the growth of probiotic microorganisms. Among all plant sources grain crops such as millets are cheapest and wholesome source for the dietary fibre. Fibers from coarse grains [ragi etc] and colored rice are promising components for making prebiotic nutraceuticals biscuits. There are 3 major components in our dietary carbohydrates. Soluble sugars [glucose, sucrose etc] are used as taste-makers, and polysaccharides [starch] as energy source. On hydrolysis, starch is taken up of glucose by cells For irregularities in their metabolism, the excess accumulation as glucose results in life style diseases [diabetes, obesity for related effects on lipid metabolism etc]. The carbohydrate fractions in diet that protects us from the aforesaid and many other noncommunicable diseases are the oligosaccharides. Our nutrition experts and industries making health drink formulation have so far ignored the benefits of oligosaccharides. If beneficial flora is deliberately supported through diet [rich in oligosaccharides] many life style diseases including cancers and common diarrheal infections in GI tract could be prevented, particularly in school-going children.