plant-fiber
Plant fiber refers to the structural material derived from crops cultivated specifically for their high cellulose content, used traditionally in textiles, paper, and rope production. In plant science, understanding fiber biosynthesis and composition is central to research on cell wall development, mechanical strength, and how plants achieve structural integrity. This field has expanded into applied research on biocomposites and sustainable materials, making plant fiber a key focus at the intersection of fundamental plant biology and materials science.
open_in_new WikipediaPubMed · 2026-04-07
Researchers reviewed how the physical structure of plant fiber — the sugars it's made of and how they're linked — determines which gut bacteria thrive and how those bacteria produce health-protective compounds. This has direct implications for treating obesity, diabetes, and inflammatory gut diseases through diet.
The monosaccharide composition and glycosidic bond types in plant polysaccharides directly determine which gut bacterial groups — particularly Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes — preferentially metabolize them.
Specific enzyme families (glycoside hydrolases and polysaccharide lyases) are the critical tools gut bacteria use to break down plant fibers, and their activity is structurally gated by polysaccharide architecture.
Short-chain fatty acids produced during fiber fermentation are mechanistically linked to reduced risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.