American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol 54, 871-877, Copyright © 1991 by The American Society for Clinical Nutrition, Inc

ORIGINAL RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS

Rice varieties with similar amylose content differ in starch digestibility and glycemic response in humans

LN Panlasigui, LU Thompson, BO Juliano, CM Perez, SH Yiu and GR Greenberg
Department of Nutritional Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Three high-amylose rice varieties, IR42, IR36, and IR62, with similar chemical composition including amylose content (26.7-27.0%), were cooked under the same conditions and tested for in vitro digestibility as well as blood glucose and insulin responses in healthy human volunteers. The starch-digestion rate and the glycemic and insulin responses were the highest in IR42, followed by IR36 and, then IR62. The differences were not due to unabsorbed carbohydrate but were related to their physicochemical properties, such as gelatinization temperature, minimum cooking time, amylograph consistency, and volume expansion upon cooking. When the three varieties were cooked for their minimum cooking time, they had the same degree of gelatinization and their starch-digestion rates and glycemic responses were similar. We conclude that amylose content alone is not a good predictor of starch- digestion rate or glycemic response. Rice varieties with similar high- amylose contents can differ in physicochemical (gelatinization) properties and this, in turn, can influence starch digestibility and blood glucose response.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				J. Hallfrisch and K. M. Behall Mechanisms of the Effects of Grains on Insulin and Glucose Responses J. Am. Coll. Nutr., June 1, 2000; 19(90003): 320S - 325. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				X. Zhou and M. L. Kaplan Soluble Amylose Cornstarch Is More Digestible than Soluble Amylopectin Potato Starch in Rats J. Nutr., July 1, 1997; 127(7): 1349 - 1356. [Abstract] [Full Text]