Glycaemic index, palatability and acceptability of energy drinks prepared with β-glucan and whey protein

Abstract

β-Glucan (βG) and whey protein (WP) are two functional ingredients widely used to maintain desirable blood glucose and weight management. However, the effect of combining βG and WP is still not thoroughly explored. This study was aimed to determine the effects of combining βG and WP in energy drinks on glycaemic index (GI), palatability and acceptability. Ten females (22.0±0.64 years old, 20.6±0.24 kg/m²) randomly completed four trials (control drink, βG drink, WP drink and βG+WP drink) in a cross-over manner. Palatability and acceptability were measured using visual analogue scale (VAS). Capillary blood was collected at 0 min (fasting state, baseline) and 15, 30, 60 and 120 min after the test drinks and assayed for glucose. There were no significant differences in palatability and acceptability of test drinks compared with control (p>0.005). The incremental area under the curve (iAUC) for blood glucose responses showed no significant differences between all test drinks. Time x treatment showed a significant increased from 0 to 30 mins (peak) (p<0.005) for all test drinks. Blood glucose response significantly (p<0.005) decreased from 30 to 120 mins for all test drinks except control. There were no significant differences in GI of βG, WP, and βG+WP drinks compared with control (117%, 124% and 114%, respectively). This study suggested that drinks prepared with βG and WP were palatable and acceptable either per se or in combination but did not significantly reduce the GI compared with control drink. In addition, the drink prepared with βG and whey protein reduced short-term glucose but does not affect overall glycaemic response.