Integration of β-glucan fibre rich fractions from barley and mushrooms to form healthy extruded snacks

Plant Foods Hum Nutr. 2013 Mar;68(1):78-82. doi: 10.1007/s11130-012-0330-0.

Abstract

β-glucan is a commonly researched plant cell wall component that when incorporated into food products has been associated with cholesterol and glycaemic response reductions. This study focusses on β-glucan rich fractions from barley and mushroom used in the production of extruded ready to eat snacks. Inclusion of barley β-glucan rich fractions and mushroom β-glucan fractions at 10 % levels increased the total dietary fibre content of extrudates compared to the control (P < 0.05). Product expansion increased with the introduction of both barley and mushroom fraction (P < 0.05) which in turn resulted in a reduction in product hardness (P < 0.05). In vitro digestion protocol illustrated that inclusion of barley and mushroom β-glucan rich fractions manipulated the starch digestibility profile and hence rate of glucose release during digestion compared to the control sample. This in turn resulted in a significant (P < 0.05) reduction in potential glycaemic response of the samples of between 20 and 25 % for barley β-glucan rich fractions and between 17 and 25 % for mushroom β-glucan rich fractions. We conclude that the inclusion of these fractions could be utilised by the food industry to manipulate the glycaemic response of extruded snack products.

MeSH terms

  • Agaricales / chemistry*
  • Blood Glucose / metabolism
  • Diet*
  • Dietary Carbohydrates / metabolism
  • Dietary Fiber / analysis*
  • Food Handling / methods
  • Glycemic Index*
  • Hardness
  • Hordeum / chemistry*
  • Humans
  • Snacks*
  • Starch / metabolism
  • beta-Glucans*

Substances

  • Blood Glucose
  • Dietary Carbohydrates
  • Dietary Fiber
  • beta-Glucans
  • Starch