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Macadamia is an important horticultural crop of South Africa, and the major cultivars grown have a wide range of attributes. These cultivars originated from diverse backgrounds, but the genetic relatio'nships between them are unclear. Here we describe new insights into the genetic identity, relationships, and species composition of 38 varieties of macadamia representing the diversity currently available within the macadamia industry of South Africa. The varieties were surveyed with the DNA marker system, RAF (randomly amplified polymorphic DNA). Varieties ranged from pure Macadamia integrifolia, through hybrids of varying species proportions, to pure M. tetraphylla, and fall into at least seven major germplasm groups. Local hybrid selections were genetically distinct from those of other selection o'rigins. The cultivar 791 was unusual, identified as a tri-species hybrid containing a significant proportion of the wild species M. temifolia. It was also shown that 741 u is the true 741 cultivar and 741 s is actually the cul!ivar 800.

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This study investigated whether increasing insoluble (predominantly wheat bran) fibre over 14 days improves subjective digestive feelings, general wellbeing and bowel function. A single centre, multi-site, open, within subjects design with a 14 day non-intervention (baseline) monitoring period followed by a 14 day fibre consumption (intervention) period was performed. 153 low fibre consumers (<15 g/day AOAC 985.29) completed a daily symptom diary for 14 days after which they consumed one bowl of ready-to-eat breakfast cereal containing at least 5.4 g fibre (3.5 g from wheat bran) for 14 days and completed a daily symptom diary. Significant improvements were demonstrated in subjective perception of bowel function (e.g., ease of defecation) and digestive feelings (bloating, constipation, feeling sluggish and digestive discomfort). Significant improvements were also found in subjective perception of general wellbeing (feeling less fat, more mentally alert, slim, happy and energetic whilst experiencing less stress, mental and physical tiredness, difficulty concentrating and fewer headaches). In general, improvements in study outcomes increased with increasing cereal/fibre consumption. However, consuming an additional minimum 5.4 g of fibre (3.5 g wheat bran) per day was shown to deliver measurable and significant benefits for digestive health, comfort and wellbeing. Encouraging consumption of relatively small amounts of wheat bran could also provide an effective method of increasing overall fibre consumption.