IANR tech boosts understanding of food crop traits, gut microbiome

October 12th, 2022

University of Nebraska–Lincoln researchers have identified specific sorghum genes and traits — including seed color — that contribute to a healthy gut microbiome, the ecosystem of microorganisms living in the GI tract. This groundbreaking discovery paves the way for identifying additional traits in sorghum and other crops that have the potential to improve human health, as well as for the emergence of new crop varieties developed with microbiome health in mind.

The Nebraska Food for Health research project focused on sorghum seed traits, and its findings, “Genetic analysis of seed traits in sorghum bicolor that affect the human gut microbiome,” were recently published in the journal Nature Communications. The lead investigator was Qinnan Yang, a postdoctoral researcher with the Department of Food Science and Technology. Other Husker scientists contributing to the project were Andrew K. Benson, the paper’s corresponding author, and co-authors Mallory Van Haute, Nate Korth, Scott E. Sattler, John Toy, Devin J. Rose and James C. Schnable.

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Story by Geitner Simmons | IANR Media