Slowly Digestible Carbohydrate for Balanced Energy: In Vitro and In Vivo Evidence

Abstract

There is growing interest among consumers in foods for sustained energy management, and an increasing number of ingredients are emerging to address this demand. The SUSTRA™ 2434 slowly digestible carbohydrate is a blend of tapioca flour and corn starch, with the potential to provide balanced energy after a meal. The aim of the study was to characterize this starch's digestion profile in vitro (modified Englyst assay) and in vivo (intact and cecectomized rooster study), and to determine its effects on available energy, by measuring post-prandial glycemia in healthy adults (n = 14), in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over study, with two food forms: cold-pressed bar and pudding. The in vitro starch digestion yielded a high slowly digestible fraction (51%) compared to maltodextrin (9%). In the rooster digestibility model, the starch was highly digestible (94%). Consumption of slowly digestible starch (SDS), in an instant pudding or bar, yielded a significantly lower glycemic index compared to a control. At individual time points, the SDS bar and pudding yielded blood glucose levels with significantly lower values at 30-60 min and significantly higher values at 120-240 min, demonstrating a balanced energy release. This is the first study to comprehensively characterize the physiological responses to slowly digestible starch (tapioca and corn blend) in in vitro and in vivo studies.

Keywords: slowly digestible carbohydrates (SDC); slowly digestible starch (SDS); sustained blood glucose; sustained energy.

Figure 1

Subject flow through study.

Figure 2

In Vitro digestibility profile of slowly digestible starch (SDS) and maltodextrin.

Figure 3

Post-prandial glycemic response of SDS in healthy adults (a) cold-pressed bars (b) instant pudding. Data are mean ± standard error mean (SEM); * indicates treatments were significantly different at specific time points in the paired t-test (p < 0.05).