Cooked Rice-Based and Wheat-Based Food Structure Influenced Digestion Kinetics and Glycemic Response in Growing Pigs

Area of Science:

• Nutritional Science
• Gastroenterology
• Food Science

Background:

• The impact of starch-based food structure on small intestinal digestion and glycemic response remains unclear.
• Food structure's influence on gastric digestion, subsequent small intestinal digestion, and glucose absorption requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how the physical structure of starch-rich foods influences small intestinal digestion and glycemic response in growing pigs, serving as a model for adult humans.

Main Methods:

• Six cooked diets with varying starch structures (grain, porridge, couscous, noodle) were fed to growing pigs.
• Measurements included glycemic response, small intestinal particle size, hydrolyzed starch, ileal starch digestibility, and portal vein plasma glucose.

Main Results:

• Smaller-sized diets (couscous, porridge) resulted in significantly higher plasma glucose concentrations (Δmax and iAUC) compared to larger-sized diets (grain, noodle).
• Ileal starch digestibility did not differ significantly between diet structures.
• A significant inverse relationship was observed between overall incremental area under the curve (iAUC) and starch gastric emptying half-time.

Conclusions:

• Starch-based food structure plays a crucial role in modulating glycemic response and starch digestion kinetics within the small intestine.