Cereal Pentosans: Structure-function relationship

Abstract

Cereals such as wheat, rice, sorghum, pearl millet and finger-millet are the staple diets for majority of population in India and are used to prepare various types of flat unleavened breads (Chapati /rotis), malt and various pasta products. Pentosans (arabinoxylans) are the major non-starch polysaccharides located in the cell walls of cereal grains. Textural and functional properties are influenced by pentosans and proteins. Arabinoxylans (pentosans) from pearl millet, sorghum, finger millet and durum wheat are more branched than those from bread wheat and rice. Higher branching pattern of pentosans along with associated ferulic and uronic acid linkages could be responsible for changes in the physicochemical properties of dough which in turn lead to their good flat bread/pasta-making qualities. This review discusses, pentosans in cereals, isolation, chemical composition, structure-function relationship of pentosans from the major cereals. A relationship of pentosans in cereals to their Indian flat bread /roti-making quality is also discussed.