Prebiotic ingredient helps to create low GI products

Low glycaemic index diets are favoured by celebrities and nutritionists alike because they are linked to weight control and health benefits.

A new study has shown that Raftilose (oligofructose), the prebiotic ingredient from ORAFTI, can significantly lower the glycaemic index of food products, when used in replacement for sugar.

Low glycaemic index diets are favoured by celebrities and nutritionists alike because they are linked to weight control and health benefits. In contrast, research has associated long-term high GI (glycaemic index) diets with heart disease and diabetes. The glycaemic index (GI) is commonly used to rank the (available) carbohydrate content of a food on a scale of 1 to 100 assuming that a glucose drink will give you a value of 100.

Until now, sweet treats have often been off the menu for weight-conscious consumers as they tend to have a higher GI. This is because sugars, such as glucose, are absorbed into the blood quickly stimulating a large glucose and insulin response.

Low GI ice-cream
In a new study, funded by food ingredients companies however, scientists at Leatherhead Food International created a new range of lower GI ice-creams using sugar replacers and/or oligofructose (Raftilose from ORAFTI). These were tested in volunteers against a traditional sugary ice-cream to discover if the glycaemic response improved.

Twelve healthy volunteers (5 men and 7 women, average age 31 years) ate ice-creams containing 15% Raftilose or different types of sugar replacers. They also ate the traditional ice-cream containing 15% sucrose (table sugar), or a glucose load. Blood levels of glucose were measured over a 2hr period, and used to work out the glycaemic response.

Lower glycaemic response
The Raftilose ice-cream gave a glycaemic response which was 70% lower than the glycaemic response produced after eating the traditional ice-cream. This lower glucose release is thought, by scientists, to be better for the metabolism. Commenting on the research, Dr. Anne Franck, Executive Vice-President Science and Technology from ORAFTIl said: “Adding oligofructose instead of sucrose significantly reduced the glycaemic response to eating the ice-cream”.

Glycaemic response was calculated by testing volunteers’ blood glucose levels over a 2 hr period after they had eaten different types of ice-cream. These results were compared with blood glucose levels after consumption of a glucose drink.

The oligofructose ice-cream gave a glycaemic response of 13, while the traditional ice-cream gave a glycaemic response of 44.

Adaptable prebiotics
Orafti note that the prebiotic ingredients Raftiline (inulin) and Raftilose (oligofructose) can improve the nutritional profiles of a wide range of food and beverage products. Backed by a considerable body of scientific research, these prebiotics are best known for improving gut health and well-being. The GI-lowering capability of Raftilose® adds to a list of impressive technical properties, including the ability to replace dietary fat without sacrificing mouthfeel and to replace sugar without impacting on taste.