Slowly Digestible Carbohydrate for Balanced Energy: In Vitro and In Vivo Evidence

Abstract

There is growing interest among consumers in foods for sustained energy management, and an increasing number of ingredients are emerging to address this demand. The SUSTRA™ 2434 slowly digestible carbohydrate is a blend of tapioca flour and corn starch, with the potential to provide balanced energy after a meal. The aim of the study was to characterize this starch’s digestion profile in vitro (modified Englyst assay) and in vivo (intact and cecectomized rooster study), and to determine its effects on available energy, by measuring post-prandial glycemia in healthy adults (n = 14), in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over study, with two food forms: cold-pressed bar and pudding. The in vitro starch digestion yielded a high slowly digestible fraction (51%) compared to maltodextrin (9%). In the rooster digestibility model, the starch was highly digestible (94%). Consumption of slowly digestible starch (SDS), in an instant pudding or bar, yielded a significantly lower glycemic index compared to a control. At individual time points, the SDS bar and pudding yielded blood glucose levels with significantly lower values at 30–60 min and significantly higher values at 120–240 min, demonstrating a balanced energy release. This is the first study to comprehensively characterize the physiological responses to slowly digestible starch (tapioca and corn blend) in in vitro and in vivo studies.

Physicochemical and Functional Characteristics of RD43 Rice Flour and Its Food Application

“…As shown in Figure 5 d, both rice flours had a similar percentage of SDS, total starch ( Table 1 ), and dietary fiber. It has been shown that the consumption of diets containing a low percentage of RDS and the high content of undigestible starch causes a reduction of postprandial blood glucose [ 43 ]. The present findings can be explained by the presence of amylose and amylose–lipid complex content in RD43 rice flour [ 27 ].…”

“…Our findings are consistent with previous studies that bread made from riceberry rice flour had lower glucose release than Hom Mali bread [ 4 ]. We suggest that RD43 flour may be a promising ingredient for reducing the glycemic index (GI) of food products, which helps to control postprandial blood glucose [ 43 ]. The sensory evaluation of steamed muffin made from Hom Mali and RD43 rice is shown in Figure 7 .…”

In Vitro Starch Digestibility and Glycaemic Index of Fried Dough and Batter Enriched with Wheat and Oat Bran

“…Starch is the major carbohydrate found in food commodities such as maize, wheat, potato and rice [ 1 ]. It is a good source of energy for humans, however, its excessive consumption is of health concern, as it is a predisposing factor to other metabolic-related diseases like obesity, and diabetes—A projected leading cause of death by the year 2030 according to the World Health Organisation [ 2 , 3 ]. Moreover, the ability to predict and regulate postprandial glucose absorption of starchy food is vital to the global epidemic called diabesity [ 4 , 5 ].…”

Alternative Snack for Diabetic Patients from Sago (Metroxylon sp.) Starch and Tempe

“…Several studies related to snack development for diabetics with the use of various high-fiber, low-glycemic-index ingredients have been carried out, such as those developing black rice and black soybean flour cookies (Widiawati & Anjani 2017), bagel bread from the substitution of sorghum and sweet potatoes (Ashfiyah 2019), and pudding made from corn starch and tapioca (Gourineni et al 2017). However, sago starch is rarely developed as snack for diabetics despite the fact that sago starch (Metroxylon sp.)…”