Citric-acid treatment during rice processing increases the level of slowly digestible starch with a potential to regulate the post-prandial blood glucose level

Abstract

A recent study showed that the digestion of glycemic carbohydrates in the distal part of the small intestine has the potential to regulate satiety and food intake levels. In this study, we investigated different processing methods (oil-frying and popping) of rice with citric-acid treatment for the efficient regulation of glucose production in small intestinal mucosal alpha-glucosidases. Glucose generation from citric-acid-treated rice products was drastically decreased due to the cross-linking of the starch molecules. Interestingly, oil-frying or popping under high-temperature and high-pressure conditions can be used to process rice or other cereals for gelatinizing starch molecules without water. Thus, various rice processing methods combined with citric-acid treatment can be used to develop rice or cereal-based food products, which can attenuate glucose spikes and extend glucose delivery.