Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2023 Nov 21;12(23):4188.
doi: 10.3390/foods12234188.

Effect of Flour Particle Size on the Glycemic Index of Muffins Made from Whole Sorghum, Whole Corn, Brown Rice, Whole Wheat, or Refined Wheat Flours

Ashley Pruett  1 , Fadi M Aramouni  2 , Scott R Bean  2 , Mark D Haub  1
Affiliations

Effect of Flour Particle Size on the Glycemic Index of Muffins Made from Whole Sorghum, Whole Corn, Brown Rice, Whole Wheat, or Refined Wheat Flours

Ashley Pruett et al. Foods. .

Abstract

The unique properties of sorghum are increasingly being studied for potential health benefits, with one area of emphasis being the impact of sorghum consumption on mitigating type 2 diabetes. The glycemic index (GI) of muffins made from whole grain sorghum flour ground to three different particle sizes (fine, intermediate, coarse) was tested on eight healthy volunteers (ages 18-40) and compared to the glycemic index of whole grain corn, wheat, and rice flours produced using a similar product formula. Sorghum flour ground through a 0.5 mm screen ("fine") had an overall similar particle size to that of the brown rice flour ground using a 0.5 mm screen. The range of GI values was 32 to 56, with only the GI of intermediate milled sorghum flour being lower than that of corn, rice, or wheat (p < 0.05). The lowest glycemic index (32 +/- 17) was found when using sorghum flour with an intermediate particle size (167 +/- 4 μm). Muffins made using brown rice had the next lowest glycemic index at 37 +/- 17. All GI values calculated had large standard deviations, which is common for these types of studies. These results can assist in the product development process to advance the quality of healthy, gluten-free sorghum-based foods for consumers. Further research should investigate if these results can be duplicated and the possible reason for the lower GI of intermediate particle size sorghum flour.

Keywords: corn; flour particle size; glycemic index; rice; sorghum; wheat; whole grain.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Percentage of starch damage among finely milled sorghum flour, intermediate milled sorghum flour, coarsely milled sorghum flour, corn flour, brown rice flour, and whole wheat flour.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Correlation between percentage starch damage and glycemic index of finely milled sorghum flour, intermediate milled sorghum flour, coarsely milled sorghum flour, corn flour, brown rice flour, and whole wheat flour.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Awika J.M. Major cereal grains production and use around the world. In: Awika J.M., Piironen V., Bean S., editors. Advances in Cereal Science: Implications to Food Processing and Health Promotion. Volume 1089. ACS Publications; Washington, DC, USA: 2011. pp. 1–13. ACS Symposium Series.
    1. Friel S., Ford L. Systems, food security and human health. Food Secur. 2015;7:437–451. doi: 10.1007/s12571-015-0433-1. - DOI
    1. Cena H., Calder P.C. Defining a healthy diet: Evidence for the role of contemporary dietary patterns in health and disease. Nutrients. 2020;12:334. doi: 10.3390/nu12020334. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Slavin J. Whole grains and human health. Nutr. Res. Rev. 2004;17:99–110. doi: 10.1079/NRR200374. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Borneo R., León A.E. Whole grain cereals: Functional components and health benefits. Food Funct. 2012;3:110. doi: 10.1039/C1FO10165J. - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources