## 4 Discussion
In a cohort of 10 healthy participants, the glycemic responses elicited by the consumption of barley flour pasta did not differ significantly from those elicited by the consumption of durum semolina pasta, which served as a control. The portions provided 50 g of carbohydrates, the participants were instructed to consume the meals within 15 min, and blood samples were obtained at 15, 30, 45, 60, 90, and 120 min after the start of the meal. Participants were allowed to drink with the test meal a cup of water, tea, or coffee with 30 mL 2% milk and/or artificial sweetener [55]. The study meal composition differed, although similar outcomes were observed. Furthermore, the consumption of high-\(\beta\)-glucan tortillas elicited a lower glucose response compared to the consumption of low-\(\beta\)-glucan tortillas in 12 healthy participants aged 19-35 years. The washout period was 1 week and, before each visit, participants underwent an overnight fast, similar to our study. Blood was collected at fasting and at 15, 30, 45, 60, 120, and 180 min after the start of the meal. Compared to our study, the tortillas had higher \(\beta\)-glucan and protein contents, which could therefore have contributed to a better control of blood glucose metabolism [56]. A sample of 40% \(\beta\)-glucan-enriched barley flour pasta resulted in a lower glycemic response compared to a control durum wheat pasta sample in a cohort of five healthy, fasted subjects. The barley and durum wheat blend pasta contained 100 g of carbohydrate, 30 g of total dietary fiber, and 12 g of \(\beta\)-glucan, and the durum wheat pasta contained the same amount of carbohydrate, 5 g of total dietary fiber, and negligible amounts of \(\beta\)-glucan. The pasta was supplemented with 300 mL of distilled water, a small amount (5 g) of butter, and a variety of dry seasonings, such as salt, pepper, herbs, and spices. The subjects were given the test meal and consumed it within 15 min; then, blood samples were drawn at 30, 60, 120, and 180 min after the start of the meal. The meal composition differed from our study and provided a higher energetic yield as well as a higher fiber content; also, the time points at which blood samples were drawn differed. Furthermore, cooking methods such as the boiling of pasta have been shown to increase the amount of soluble \(\beta\)-glucan, but baking decreases it [57; 58]. The consumption of muffins containing high levels of \(\beta\)-glucan managed to reduce glucose responses in a cohort of 10 control and 10 overweight men (25 to 56 years). All subjects were fed an equilibration diet containing 30% fat, 55% carbohydrate, and 15% protein for 2 days before the visits to ensure that all of the subjects were eating a moderately high carbohydrate diet before the acute meal tests, which was not applied in our study. Each treatment contained 75 g of total carbohydrates compared to our study and blood samples were collected before the treatment and at 0.5, 1, 2, 3, and 4 h after the treatment, a different time range from our study [59]. In a single study concerning barley flour cracker acute consumption, the intake of barley flour-formulated crackers by a cohort of 10 healthy subjects triggered a lower glycemic response than whole-wheat crackers, whereas post-prandial triacylglycerol levels did not differ among test meals. The participants consumed the breakfast after an overnight fast on separate mornings, with a washout period of 2 weeks. Test meals (95 gr) were served with 500 mL of unsweetened tea, contained 40 g of available carbohydrates, and provided a higher energy yield than our functional meal. The meals were consumed in 10 min and blood samples were drawn at the administration of the meal as well as 15, 30, 45, 60, 90, 120, and 180 min and then at hourly intervals for the following 5 h after the meals. Furthermore, a standard light lunch, composed of white bread (50 g), roast beef (70 g), and apple (200 g) (containing 27 g protein, 2.3 g lipid, and 59.2 g carbohydrate; 1481 K)), was served 4 h after the meals.