We investigated whether ingestion of high β-glucan barley bran cookies suppressed postprandial plasma glucose level and insulin secretion in healthy female subjects. Furthermore, we examined the taste of high-β -glucan barley bran cookies by sensory assessment and evaluated the beneficial effect of high-β-glucan barley bran on human health. This study design had a within-subject, repeated measures design, wherein nine healthy female subjects were ingested with high-β-glucan barley bran cookies or control（wheat flour）cookies. Plasma samples were collected before ingestion and at 30-min intervals for 3 h after ingestion. Plasma glucose concentration was measured by Trinderʼs method using glucose oxidase. Plasma insulin concentration was measured by an ELISA kit. Area under the curves（AUCs）of postprandial plasma glucose and insulin were calculated during 0-180 min after ingestion of cookies using the trapezoidal rule with fasting values as the baseline. A sensory assessment of cookies was performed against a bipolar 7-point scale. AUCs of postprandial plasma glucose and insulin concentrations up to 180 min post-ingestion were significantly suppressed in comparison with those following ingestion of the control cookies（p<0.05）. Taste preference indicated on the bipolar 7-point scale did not differ significantly between the test and control meals. These results demonstrate that high-β-glucan barley bran has the potential to serve as a functional ingredient and may contribute to the prevention of metabolic syndrome.
Keywords: high β-glucan barley bran, suppressive effect, postprandial glucose, insulin |
