New lab test to determine glycemic impact of food.

Consumers, grain producers and the food industry will benefit from a new research alliance established to find better ways to measure the glycemic response of grains, ingredients and processed foods.

A precise, quick and relatively inexpensive laboratory test that will predict how a food product will affect blood sugar levels is being developed by GlycANZ, a trans-Tasman collaboration between New Zealand's Crop & Food Research and Australia's CSIRO Food Futures Flagship.

The laboratory test will be quicker and less expensive than the clinical tests currently in use to determine glycemic impact. It's likely to be at least two years before it is commercially available. The test will help manufacturers when they are reformulating and developing products to improve the health and well-being of consumers, explains John Monro, food scientist at Crop & Food Research. These types of tests have higher throughput, are more cost-effective and potentially are more precise and specific than current glycemic index (GI) tests used to measure the impact of food on blood sugars, we're told. The GI test harnesses a standardized methodology, using people to measure the blood glucose response to either 25 g or 50 g of the carbohydrate component found in a food.

Development of the new test is one of the objectives of the GlycANZ alliance to help make food choices easier for consumers. Research is focusing on blood glucose responses to foods, and on resistant starch. The efforts include developing a test to help people adopt healthy diets. The alliance is addressing the importance of glycemic response in the prevention and management of serious medical conditions such as diabetes.

Scientists at Crop & Food Research can help food producers determine the glycemic index and glycemic load of their products, including beverages, fruits, vegetables, breads, cereals, snack bars and meals. Researchers can:

? Measure the GI of carbohydrate in food products;

? Calculate the glycemic load of foods;

? Undertake analytical tests to guide the reformulation of products;

? Prove the efficacy of products in human clinical trials; and

? Modify products to lower their glycemic index or glycemic load.

Further information. John Monro, Crop & Food Research, Private Bag 11 600, Palmerston North, New Zealand; phone: +64 6 356 8300; fax: +64 6 351 7050; email: monroj@crop.cri.nz; URL: www.crop.cri.nz.