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Implementation of New Plant Breeding Techniques (NPBTs) for dietary inulin
Inulin is a dietary fiber with health-promoting characteristics mainly targeted on gut health. Inulin is extracted from root chicory and used in many food products.
The yield and the length of the inulin molecule determines the value and health-beneficial character of this compound. Using NPBT we want to increase both the yield and the length of inulin. The natural production of terpenes in chicory makes the inulin extraction method less efficient and more costly. The other goal of WP2 is to reduce the production of natural chicory terpenes.
The work done during the first two years of the project CHIC shows that we could generate mutant chicory plants in which the genes encoding the inulin break-down enzymes are blocked using genome editing techniques thanks to the small alteration the CRISPR tools made in the plant DNA. All mutated plants have been analyzed in great detail on DNA level using various methods.
More news about this project:
Researchers make chicory plants without bitter compounds using CRISPR/Cas method
Researchers have used new breeding techniques to develop a chicory variety that no longer contains bitter compounds. The research consortium published their results in the Plant Biotechnology Journal.
Biotechnology from the blue flower: the unnatural, that too is natural
Artists Anna Dumitriu and Alex May will discuss their project “Biotechnology from the Blue Flower” with a panel of experts from the EU Horizon H2020 CHIC project. Chicory is believed to have inspired the notion of the Blue Flower in German Romanticism – a central symbol of the movement.
Spanish chef Jordi Bordas makes CHICque. gourmet aftertastes!
Join us for this fascinating online panel discussion and cooking workshop. “Let’s eat CHICque. Gourmet Aftertastes” opens up the unique art, science and culinary potentials of alternative healthy ingredients in Chicory (Cichorium intybus).
