Cereal grains rich in carbohydrates are the staple diet of people worldwide. Starch is the major carbohydrate in cereals that meet our daily energy requirement. However, rapid digestion of starchy foods in the upper GI tract is related to a rise in postprandial blood glucose levels. On the other hand, the consumption of slowly digested food (lower glycemic index foods) is positively correlated with a reduction in metabolic diseases such as diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, and even colorectal cancer. Thus, the current research focus is on reducing cereal-based staple foods' GI values. Various factors such as the interaction between starch and other components (protein, lipids, polyphenols, dietary fibers), cooking (steaming, baking, extrusion, etc.) and processing (milling, germination, fermentation, retrogradation, etc.) can affect starch digestion and GI values of foods. Furthermore, food matrices (e.g., in whole grains) and local density (e.g., pasta) affect enzymic hydrolysis of starch, hence the GI values of foods. However, developing low GI cereal foods with improved sensory attributes associated with higher consumer acceptability is challenging. Even though whole grains, high-amylose cereals, high-fiber cereal foods, and other cereal foods have a low GI value, consumer acceptance of these foods is still lower than that of their normal counterparts.
The Research Topic aims to bring together the latest research on slow digestion and low GI values of cereal staple foods. Research in the digestibility and GI value of cereal staple foods, the novel in vivo and in vitro digestion models for the estimation of GI, and the innovative food ingredients, modification, and processing technologies will be covered. Also, the approaches for the increased palatability for low GI cereal staple foods will be presented.
Topics include but are not limited to the following:
• Interaction between starch and other cereal components and its relations to digestibility and GI.
• In vivo and in vitro models to evaluate the digestibility, GI, fermentability and other health effects of cereal staple foods.
• Effects of food structure and matrices on the digestibility and GI of cereal staple foods.
• Novel food ingredients for reducing digestion and GI values, such as a bioactive peptide, polyphenol, dietary fiber originated from cereal or its byproducts.
• Innovative food processing technologies in reducing the digestibility and GI of cereal staple foods.
• Improvements of the taste, mouthfeel, flavor for cereal staple foods with low digestibility and GI.
Cereal grains rich in carbohydrates are the staple diet of people worldwide. Starch is the major carbohydrate in cereals that meet our daily energy requirement. However, rapid digestion of starchy foods in the upper GI tract is related to a rise in postprandial blood glucose levels. On the other hand, the consumption of slowly digested food (lower glycemic index foods) is positively correlated with a reduction in metabolic diseases such as diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, and even colorectal cancer. Thus, the current research focus is on reducing cereal-based staple foods' GI values. Various factors such as the interaction between starch and other components (protein, lipids, polyphenols, dietary fibers), cooking (steaming, baking, extrusion, etc.) and processing (milling, germination, fermentation, retrogradation, etc.) can affect starch digestion and GI values of foods. Furthermore, food matrices (e.g., in whole grains) and local density (e.g., pasta) affect enzymic hydrolysis of starch, hence the GI values of foods. However, developing low GI cereal foods with improved sensory attributes associated with higher consumer acceptability is challenging. Even though whole grains, high-amylose cereals, high-fiber cereal foods, and other cereal foods have a low GI value, consumer acceptance of these foods is still lower than that of their normal counterparts.
The Research Topic aims to bring together the latest research on slow digestion and low GI values of cereal staple foods. Research in the digestibility and GI value of cereal staple foods, the novel in vivo and in vitro digestion models for the estimation of GI, and the innovative food ingredients, modification, and processing technologies will be covered. Also, the approaches for the increased palatability for low GI cereal staple foods will be presented.
Topics include but are not limited to the following:
• Interaction between starch and other cereal components and its relations to digestibility and GI.
• In vivo and in vitro models to evaluate the digestibility, GI, fermentability and other health effects of cereal staple foods.
• Effects of food structure and matrices on the digestibility and GI of cereal staple foods.
• Novel food ingredients for reducing digestion and GI values, such as a bioactive peptide, polyphenol, dietary fiber originated from cereal or its byproducts.
• Innovative food processing technologies in reducing the digestibility and GI of cereal staple foods.
• Improvements of the taste, mouthfeel, flavor for cereal staple foods with low digestibility and GI.