Glycemic index and glycemic load of selected Chinese traditional foods

AIM:To determine the glycemic index(GI)and glycemic load(GL)values of Chinese traditional foods in Hong Kong.METHODS:Fifteen healthy subjects(8 males and 7 females)volunteered to consume either glucose or one of 23 test foods after 10-14 h overnight fast.The blood glucose concentrations were analyzed immediately before,15,30,45,60,90 and 120 min after food consumption using capillary blood samples.The GI value of each test food was calculated by expressing the incremental area under the blood glucose response curve(IAUC)value for the test food as a percentage of each subject's average IAUC value for the glucose.The GL value of each test food was calculated as the GI value of the food multiplied by the amount of the available carbohydrate in a usual portion size,divided by 100.RESULTS:Among all the 23 Chinese traditional foods tested,6 of them belonged to low GI foods(Tuna Fish Bun,Egg Tart,Green Bean Dessert,Chinese Herbal Jelly,Fried Rice Vermicelli in Singapore-style,and Spring Roll),10 of them belonged to moderate GI foods(Baked Barbecued Pork Puff,Fried Fritter,"Mai-Lai"Cake,"Pineapple"Bun,Fried Rice Noodles with Sliced Beef,Barbecue Pork Bun,Moon Cakes,Glutinous Rice Ball,Instant Sweet Milky Bun,and Salted Meat Rice Dumpling),the others belonged to high GI foods(Fried Rice in Yangzhou-Style,Sticky Rice Wrapped in Lotus Leaf,Steamed Glutinous Rice Roll,Jam and Peanut Butter Toast,Plain Steamed Vermicelli Roll,Red Bean Dessert,and Frozen Sweet Milky Bun).CONCLUSION:The GI and GL values for these Chinese traditional foods will provide some valuable information to both researchers and public on their food preference.

Insights into the microbial diversity and community dynamics of Chinese traditional fermented foods from using high-throughput sequencing approaches

Chinese traditional fermented foods have a very long history dating back thousands of years and have become an indispensable part of Chinese dietary culture. A plethora of research has been conducted to unravel the composition and dynamics of microbial consortia associated with Chinese traditional fermented foods using culture- dependent as well as culture-independent methods, like different high-throughput sequencing （HTS） techniques. These HTS techniques enable us to understand the relationship between a food product and its microbes to a greater extent than ever before. Considering the importance of Chinese traditional fermented products, the objective of this paper is to review the diversity and dynamics of microbiota in Chinese traditional fermented foods revealed by HTS approaches.