White Rice and Gellan Gum 7 Days Intervention
Condition: Healthy
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      Gellan gum (GG) is a food grade polysaccharide produced by fermentation. In-vitro studies and
      in vivo pilot studies suggest that adding gellan gum to rice during cooking might reduce the
      extent of the increase in circulating blood glucose seen after its consumption (glycaemic
      response). This study will explore whether such a modification in response is sustained,
      particularly over a period of 7 days of consumption.
    

Detailed description: 
      BACKGROUND: Rice is a carbohydrate-rich staple source of food for around half of the world
      population. Consumption is estimated to be 480 million tonnes per year. According to The Food
      and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), rice is easily accessible to people
      in Asia, Pacific region, parts of Latin America and the Caribbean and, increasingly in
      Africa. Rice plays an important role in achieving an adequate dietary intake in these
      countries.

      However high consumption of white rice has been linked with high obesity rates and increased
      risk for type 2 diabetes . However, it is still the favoured type of rice among consumers,
      contributing to the observed increasing trends in diet-related diseases in countries with
      high rice consumption . Modifying the properties of white rice products (e.g. reducing the
      glycaemic index and/or increasing satiety) with relatively simple interventions can
      contribute to producing foods that may promote better health due to modified digestion and
      post prandial metabolic and appetitive profiles. One way to reduce the glycaemic index of
      white rice may be the addition of hydrocolloids. These have previously been shown to modify
      the digestibility of foods . The health advantage derived from such modifications would be
      beneficial for consumers worldwide. Preliminary in-house in vitro digestion data suggested
      that the addition of gellan gum to rice cooking may reduce digestibility rates though
      mechanisms yet to be understood. Gellan gum (GG) "is a high molecular weight, water-soluble
      anionic, extracellular polysaccharide which is produced by the microorganism Sphingomonas
      elodea during fermentation". GG is commonly used as a gelling agent in foods. Gels formed by
      gellan gum have high resistance to acid, heat, and enzyme activity. The United States Food
      and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the use of GG as a food additive for the human
      consumption (US.FDA, 2018). It is also approved by the European Community as a food additive
      with code (E-418). Gellan Gum is gluten free and broadly applied in gluten free foods to
      provide improved texture and good taste to pasta, biscuits, candy and dairy products.
      Therefore, it has been proved safe in the amounts the investigators intend to use, it is also
      suitable for people diagnosed with Coeliac disease as well as suitable for vegetarians,
      kosher and Halal diets, which make it acceptable for consumption and dietary intervention
      across different populations.

      AIM: The overall purpose of this study is to explore the impact of cooking rice with gellan
      on the glycaemic and appetitive responses in healthy participants. Both the acute response to
      one meal will be considered, and the impact on the acute response having consumed the rice
      once a day over the preceding 7 days. Tolerance will also be considered.

      HYPOTHESIS: This work will test the hypothesis that the addition of gellan gum to jasmine
      rice during cooking will reduce the post prandial glycaemic response. The investigators will
      also explore associated food intake, appetitive responses and tolerance during both the acute
      single meal exposure and over a 7 day period of consuming the same portion of rice each day,
      therefore testing the stability of the glycaemic and appetitive responses after a 7 day
      period of consumption. Establishing that any acute effect noted is sustained over a period of
      consumption will be important prior to recommending the addition of gellan to rice cooking as
      a therapeutic or public health strategy.
    

Intervention name(s): White rice; Gellan gum
Intervention type(s): Dietary Supplement; Dietary Supplement
Intervention description(s): 185 g Jasmine (white) rice boiled in 356 g water; Food grade hydrocolloid polysaccharide 5.5g dissolved in 356g cooking water containing 185g rice
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Crossover Assignment
Intervention model description: Randomised crossover placebo controlled
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary purpose: Basic Science
Keywords: jasmine rice; white rice; gellan gum; glycemic response