Increasing the fat content of pancakes augments the digestibility of starch in-vitro

Carbohydrate foods that breakdown rapidly during digestion are known to have the highest glycemic index (GI) values. It is known that lipid–starch complexes can form in foods; however how this may enhance the resistance of starch to enzyme hydrolysis is unknown. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of adding different fats to a carbohydrate rich food on the digestibility of starch in-vitro. Three sets of carbohydrate–lipid emulsion (CLE) batters in the form of pancakes were prepared as 1) low fat (20.3% mass as fat), 2) medium fat (32.7% mass as fat) and 3) high fat (45.1% mass as fat). For each set of CLE a control (containing no added fat), saturated fat (butter), polyunsaturated fat (sunflower oil), monounsaturated fat (olive oil) and medium chain triglyceride saturated fat (MCT oil) was prepared. The CLEs were digested in-vitro and sugars released measured. The results indicated that increasing the concentrations of fat in the CLE augmented sugar release (p < 0.001). The results also showed that there were differences between the different types of fats in the CLE (p < 0.001). The primary differences existed between the control and all the other CLEs, as well as between the MCT CLE and all other CLEs. Correlation analysis showed an inverse relationship between the amount of remnants remaining after digestion and the sugars released from the CLE (p = 0.004 and p = 0.014). This research indicates that adding fat to a carbohydrate food will increase the digestibility of starch and release of sugars from the food which may impact on glycemic response.