Akila Srinivasagam Ramasamy Venkateswara

Citation

Thesis Title
Digestion characteristics of grains and flours for breads of low glycaemic potency

Wholegrain breads containing grain particles are claimed to be healthy with low glycaemic potency (the weight of glucose that would induce a glucose response equivalent to that induced by a given amount of food). This research showed that increasing the size and proportion of wholegrain particles in breads was not effective in reducing glycaemic potency, as grain structure was eliminated by chewing. Chewing reduced particle size and destroyed much of the endosperm (the interior layer that holds carbohydrates, protein, and small amounts of some B vitamins and minerals) structure that would restrict digestion of the unchewed grain particles. Ms Srinivasagam Ramasamy Venkateswaran’s results communicate to bread manufacturers and consumers that the message “graininess is healthiness” is attributable to the nutritional components and dietary fibre, but not effective in lowering glycaemic potency. Results also showed that increasing the proportion of protein with non-starch polysaccharides (a group of complex carbohydrates that resist digestion) in breads seemed to be the most effective strategy for reducing blood glucose responses.

Supervisors
Associate Professor Lara Matia-Merino
Dr John Monro
Dr Suman Mishra
Professor Kelvin Goh
Mr Allan Hardacre