Description

Psyllium is nowadays well known as a readily available food supplement in the form of psyllium husks. It is also incorporated in gluten-free bread as a gluten replacement and in dairy products as a fat replacement. Psyllium has positive effects on cardiovascular health, cholesterol levels, and is proven to be beneficial for IBD patients. It is also a mucilaginous plant, meaning that seeds form a fibrous gel when in contact with water. Said gel and fibre are very interesting from a research and health viewpoint, and there are still questions and challenges on how to best incorporate them. This webinar will go through psyllium health benefits and its ready-to-use application, and shed a light on these interesting fibres, as they have a unique structure, which presents an interesting research topic.

Speaker

Lucija Štrkalj is ENDietS’s Social Media anchor. She holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Nutrition Science from the Faculty of Food Technology and Biotechnology, University of Zagreb, Croatia. Currently, she is doing a joint PhD programme at University of Nottingham, UK, and University of Adelaide, Australia. Her project is called “From Plant to Plate: Biotransformation of Functional Polysaccharides” and is part of the Soft Matter Biomaterials and Biointerfaces group. Lucija has done research on millet bran fibre and its incorporation in gluten-free bread for her Master Thesis, and is continuing in-depth research in psyllium fibre for the PhD project. Her goal is to use certain modification techniques to specifically modify fibre for different food products with health benefits, such as lowering glycaemic index and increased fermentability.