Abstract
In an attempt to control the blood sugar increase that occurs after consuming cooked rice, we assessed the enthalpy and sensory and textural properties of κ-carrageenan-supplemented rice, and measured its effect on blood glucose in 13 fasting subjects. Samples were prepared by adding κ-carrageenan during cooking, (CP) or in gel form alone (CG) or in combination with CaCl2 (CG-CaCl2) to precooked rice. Subjects who consumed greater than 1.0% CP had significantly lower blood sugar levels after 15 and 30 min compared with subjects who consumed standard cooked rice (control). Blood sugar levels of 1.6% CP were only lower than in control after 45 min. The glycemic index (GI) of rice supplemented with greater than 1.0% CP was significantly lower than that of control, and glucose release decreased with CP supplementation greater than 0.5%. Glucose release and GI did not significantly differ between CG-CaCl2 and control groups. Subjective and objective measures of texture property suggested that hardness significantly increased in rice supplemented with 0.5% CP.
