Abstract:
The FAO/WHO Expert Consultation Report (1998) recommended that both the chemical
composition and physiological effect of food carbohydrates, including Glycaemic Index (GI),
should be considered in guiding healthy food choices. Towards this end a rapid assessment
method was developed to aid the food industry during product development, mainly for
screening product formulations for GI. The objectives of this study was to determine if the
developed rapid assessment method determining the Hydrolysis Index (HI) of a food, could
accurately predict the GI of a food, by comparing data with GI results obtained by different
laboratories on the same food products. Results from in vivo GI trials on two food products
(potatoes and yoghurt), performed at two recognised laboratories in South Africa, were
compared with HI results obtained on the same food products through the developed rapid
assessment method (in vitro). The results indicated good correlation between HI and GI values.
Noteworthy discrepancies were noted in the GI of the potato cultivar as determined by the
different laboratories, and recommendations can be made that the current methodologies
exercised by the different laboratories, be re-examined.
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