NEW BIOACTIVE AND BIOBASED PRODUCTS FROM PLANT CELL WALL POLYSACCHARIDES IN SUGAR BEET PULP, CITRUS PEEL AND OTHER ... PROCESSING RESIDUES

1. Develop plant cell wall polysaccharide-based bioplastic composites with tailor-designed thermal, mechanical and biological properties for active packaging, construction and automotive materials. 2. Convert plant cell wall polysaccharides into biomedical materials for tissue regeneration, cosmetic personal care products, carriers of bioactive substances for the colon-specific delivery and to produce synbiotics (probiotic + prebiotic). 2a. Develop regeneration medicine and drug delivery biomedical products 2b. Develop skin-care biomedical products 3. Develop plant cell wall oligosaccharide-based prebiotics from agricultural processing residues rich in pectins and hemicelluloses and test the hypothesis that prebiotics can selectively promote the growth of gut bacteria associated with lean tissue growth to potentially control obesity. 3a. Conduct in vivo analysis of candidate prebiotics 3b. Discover new pectic and hemicellulosic prebiotics 3c. Determine if prebiotics can alter the colonic microflora to potentially control obesity 4. Screen plant cell wall oligosaccharides for biological activity (anti-adhesion of pathogenic bacteria, immunomodulation, induction of apoptosis).