Chickpea flour ingredient slows glycemic response to pasta in healthy volunteers

Diets with a low glycaemic index have been shown to improve glucose tolerance in both healthy and diabetic subjects. However, there is a need for a more diversified range of foods with a low glycaemic response. The object of this work was to make a spaghetti, containing chickpea flour, as a food having a low postprandial glycaemic response. Twelve healthy volunteers consumed three test meals containing 50 g of carbohydrates: white bread, wheat spaghetti and spaghetti, in which the wheat was partially substituted by chickpea flour. Blood samples were collected over 2 h after consumption of meals to evaluate the glycaemic response and to determine the glycaemic index. Nutritional composition and in vitro starch hydrolysis of pasta were determined. The incorporation of chickpea flour increased the mineral, fat and indigestible compound content of the pasta, but total starch content was not affected. Starch hydrolysis was lower in both types of pasta than in white bread, but the difference was greater in the case of pasta made with chickpea flour. The glycaemic indices (GI) of both types of pasta were in the normal range for lente carbohydrates but were significantly lower in the pasta containing chickpea flour (GIwheat spaghetti: 73±5; GIwheat–chickpea spaghetti: 58±6). The inclusion of chickpea flour, as an ingredient in pasta products, evidently provide a food with a low glycaemic response and could help in achieving a wider range of low-GI foods for the consumer.